Cardinal Sako hopeful about
new Iraqi government
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| Pope Francis and Cardinal Raphael Sabo (ANSA) |
As of Wednesday, Iraq has formed a new government. Cardinal
Sako expresses hope for the future of Iraq.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp
Iraq announced on Wednesday that it has formed a new
government. It has taken 6 months to do so since Abdul Mahdi resigned last
November. The new Prime Minister is Mustafa al-Kadimi. He has been chief of
intelligence and is a former journalist.
Vatican news spoke with Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, the
Catholic Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans. He spoke positively about this
turn of events in Iraq.
Cardinal Sako says that there is now “hope for all of Iraq”.
This hope comes after hearing the new Prime Minister’s speech and his plans for
the future. His personal opinion about the new Prime Minister is that he is
honest, wants the best for Iraq, and has chosen “qualified ministers”, although
some have yet to be appointed.
What Iraq needs now
Looking ahead to what he believes are priorities for the
long-suffering nation, the Cardinal says: “What we need now is the unity
of our country but also solidarity of all Iraqis. We need to support this new
government” so it can implement its plans “and put an end to corruption”.
He also noted that there are militias that are out of
control and creating problems.
Iraq's priorities
Regarding the economy, he said that “it is very limited… and
is a challenge”. However, he does not see this area as a priority. Rather, he
considers the priority to be “security, peace and equality for all Iraqis.”
Day of prayer and fasting
Cardinal Sako concluded speaking of the day of prayer and
fasting recently promoted by Pope Francis. He said thaat due to the
restrictions in place to stem the spread of Covid-19, there cannot be a public
ecumenical prayer service as he would have wished.
“We are preparing to join with the Holy Father’s
appeal for a day of fasting and prayer for all of humanity on 14 May. We
will pray in our chapel and celebrate the Mass and pray the rosary for that
intention”.
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