His Beatitude Louis Raphael I Sako, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon, attends the Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals in Vatican City. Getty Images
His Beatitude Louis Raphael I Sako, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon, attends the Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals in Vatican City. Getty Images
His Beatitude Louis Raphael I Sako, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon, attends the Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals in Vatican City. Getty Images
His Beatitude Louis Raphael I Sako, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon, attends the Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals in Vatican City. Getty Images

Head of Catholic Church in Iraq leaves Baghdad amid heightened tension with militia leader


Sinan Mahmoud
  • English
  • Arabic

The Iraq-based leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church, Louis Sako, will leave Baghdad and settle in the northern autonomous Kurdish region, he said on Saturday, amid heightened tension with a powerful Christian militia leader.

For months, Mr Sako, has been embroiled in a war of words with a Christian lawmaker and militia leader, Rayan Al Kildani. Both accused each other of exploiting their clout to illegally seizing Christian-owned properties.

Mr Al Kildani is the leader of the Babylon Movement, whose militia fought ISIS within the state-linked Popular Mobilisation Forces, a network of largely pro-Iran paramilitaries. Since then, he forged strong alliances with powerful Tehran-allied Shiite militias.

In his statement on Saturday, the cardinal condemned the government's "silence" over what he described as a campaign against him by the Babylon Movement.

He has "decided to withdraw from the seat of the patriarchate in Baghdad", the statement said, and would instead settle at one of the monasteries in Kurdistan in the country’s north.

Tensions have intensified since early July, drawing in President Abdul Latif Rashid who cited constitutional grounds in his decision to revoke a 2013 presidential decree that recognised Mr Sako as head of the Chaldean Church, allowing him to administer the community's endowment.

The presidency justified its decision, saying the decree had no "constitutional or legal basis" as the president "only issues appointment decrees for employees of government institutions".

Mr Sako considered the decision was an attack against him. But Mr Rashid rejected the claims, saying the decision "is not intended to undermine the religious or legal stature of the cardinal".

In his statement, Mr Sako dubbed the tensions a "dirty game", sarcastically suggesting the "protector of the constitution" – President Rashid – entrust the administration of the church's assets to Mr Al Kildani and his brothers.

Mr Sako is a key interlocutor between the Iraqi government and its Christian minority and is outspoken about the grievances the Christian community has faced since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime.

He was the architect of Pope Francis' historic visit to the country in 2021.

In 2019, the US imposed sanctions on Mr Al Kildani and another Shiite militia leader, calling them "perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption".

Mr Al Kildani is the leader of the 50th Brigade Babylon militia and the US has accused him of "serious human rights abuses", including cutting the ear off of a handcuffed prisoner.

Christians in Iraq trace their roots back to the beginning of the faith nearly 2,000 years ago, but with the rise of extremism after the 2003 invasion, targeted killings and kidnappings for ransom against the community forced many to flee the country.

The houses and businesses of those who fled have since been taken over illegally, mainly by gangs using forged property documents.

Community leaders estimate that the number of Christians in Iraq has dropped to about a third of the estimated 1.5 million who lived in the country before 2003.

Many have fled the violence that has plagued the country over the past 20 years.

In northern Iraq, where much of its Christian population lives, entire villages were forced to flee as ISIS took over large swathes of land in 2014. The terror group has now been almost entirely defeated, but many displaced Christians do not wish to return.

Anxiety and work stress major factors

Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.

A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.

Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.

One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.

It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."

Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.

“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi. 

“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."

Daniel Bardsley

The biog

Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists. 

Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.

Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic 

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Based: Cairo, Egypt

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Investment: approximately $80 million

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Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”

Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”

Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”

Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”

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Bayern: Rafinha (6'), Muller (12', 27')
Chelsea: Alonso (45' 3), Batshuayi (85')

MATCH INFO

Euro 2020 qualifier

Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')

Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)

New process leads to panic among jobseekers

As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.  

“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.

Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE. 

“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.

“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”

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Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

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Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

Barings Bank

 Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
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Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson. 

Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
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Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m

ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m

RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m

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Updated: July 16, 2023, 1:03 PM