Iraqi Cardinal Louis Sako Steps Down from Leading Major Middle East Church

Cardinal Louis Sako, the 76-year-old leader of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church, has announced his retirement amid ongoing regional conflicts. Sako guided the ancient Christian community through the devastating Islamic State period and frequent political tensions with Iraqi leadership.

The leader of a significant Christian denomination in the Middle East stepped down from his position Tuesday, opening the door for fresh leadership during a period of intense regional warfare.

Cardinal Louis Sako, who heads Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Church, announced he had requested retirement to focus on “prayer, writing, and simple service,” with Pope Leo XIV approving his departure on his preferred date.

The 76-year-old cardinal, who experienced periodic tensions with Iraqi government officials, emphasized in his announcement that he voluntarily submitted his resignation and was departing “of my own will.”

The Chaldean Catholic Church represents one of approximately two dozen Eastern Rite denominations maintaining full communion with Rome. Among four churches tracing their origins to the historic Church of the East in ancient Mesopotamia, it maintains a strong presence throughout Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and diaspora communities worldwide.

Sako shepherded this ancient religious community during the devastating period when the Islamic State organization emerged in Iraq, causing catastrophic damage to Christian populations. His departure creates an opportunity for new leadership during fresh regional turmoil, including the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran that has extended into Iraqi territory.

Militia groups supported by Iran operating within Iraq have conducted numerous strikes against American military installations, energy infrastructure, and additional targets throughout the nation.

“I led the Chaldean Church under extremely difficult circumstances and amid great challenges. I preserved the unity of its institutions and spared no effort in defending it and the rights of Iraqis and Christians, taking positions and maintaining a presence both inside and outside the country,” Sako stated on the patriarch’s official website.

Regarding future leadership, he expressed hope that “in these difficult times” his replacement would demonstrate “solid theological culture, courage, and wisdom — someone who believes in renewal, openness, and dialogue, and who also has a sense of humor. I will respect him and never interfere in his work.”

During July 2023, Sako departed his Baghdad headquarters and entered voluntary exile in the Kurdish regional capital for nine months following Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid’s cancellation of official recognition for his patriarchal authority over Chaldeans.

While the Iraqi president characterized his action as routine administrative maintenance that wouldn’t affect Sako’s legal or spiritual standing, the cardinal viewed it as an insult to his church.

During his departure, Sako attributed his situation to efforts by Rayan al-Kildani, another Chaldean Christian who leads the Babylon Movement political organization and established the Babylon Brigades militia that battled Islamic State forces and continues patrolling significant portions of the Nineveh plains.

Sako resumed his Baghdad duties in April 2024 following a direct invitation from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

Iraq’s Christian community has dramatically decreased following multiple decades of warfare and extremist group emergence, including the Islamic State, which flourished in the power vacuum created by the 2003 American-led military intervention that removed former dictator Saddam Hussein.

Current estimates place Iraq’s Christian population at 150,000 individuals, a sharp decline from 1.5 million in 2003, while the country’s total population exceeds 40 million.

Pope Francis’s 2021 visit, which Sako assisted in coordinating, offered brief optimism that subsequently diminished. Numerous Christian communities devastated during the Islamic State’s territorial expansion remain destroyed, with former residents dispersed globally.

In a 2023 Associated Press interview, Sako described protecting Christian rights as central to his responsibilities.

“Of course, no one defends Christians other than the church,” he stated.