Iraqi Cardinal calls for
prayer and fasting
 |
| Iraqi protasters clash with Iraqi security forces in Baghdad (AFP) |
Cardinal Sako asks all Chaldean Catholics to fast and pray
for peace as Iraq undergoes new protests and violence.
By Fr John Waters
The Head of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq has called
for 3 days of fasting and prayer for peace in the country.
Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako, the Patriarch of
Babylon of the Chaldeans, has invited “all sons and daughters of the Chaldean
church to fast and pray from 11 to 13 November. The cardinal’s plea
used strong imagery of “weapons of fasting and prayer to call for an end to the
chaos and violence that are bloodying the country.”
Thousands of Iraqis have been protesting the government
since November 1st. Their demands include more jobs, better public
services and an end to political corruption. So far, at least 320 people have
been killed as a result of clashes between protesters and security forces.
The Cardinal has also addressed the Iraqi government in his appeal
for peace, asking that both they and the protesters exercise “wisdom and
understanding in giving priority to the general interest of the entire Iraqi
people.” He goes on to lament the damage done to both private and public goods,
as well as the shedding of innocent blood.
Both the White House and the UN Mission to Iraq have
released statements in support of the protesters. They also each called on the
Iraqi government to deliver on its promise of electoral reform.
The Chaldean Catholic Church traces its origins back to the
1st century and the Church of the East, which was founded by
the Apostle St Thomas. A series of theological developments led to the
Chaldeans formally joining the Catholic Church in 1552.
Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako has been patriarch of Babylon
of the Chaldeans since 2013 and was made a Cardinal by Pope Francis in 2018.
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