In Iraq, Islamists demand execution of cardinal over "political" homily

Cardinal Sako in Iraq receives threats after Christmas homily. Photo: al-monitor

In Iraq, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako received threats from Islamist groups after a Christmas homily in Baghdad. This was reported by Chaldean Press.

The reason for the attacks on the cardinal was his homily, where he used the word "normalization", speaking about the need for reconciliation and spiritual unity in Iraqi society. However, some Islamic leaders interpreted this expression as a call for political normalization of relations with Israel, which caused a sharp reaction and legal appeals demanding Sako's arrest.

After this, Sako began receiving numerous threats from Iraq and Iran.

Representatives of the Chaldean Archdiocese issued a statement clarifying that the speech was exclusively about internal peace and cultural development of the country, not about international relations. The document emphasizes that the homily had no political undertones, and the word "normalization" referred to interreligious harmony and tourism. Despite the clarifications, a number of Islamic figures continued to demand punishment for the patriarch, including the death penalty.

As reported by the UOJ, Orthodox and Catholic churches destroyed by ISIS were opened in Iraq.

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