The Chaldean Patriarchate has issued an official statement clarifying recent comments by Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako that sparked a political controversy in Iraq over the sensitive term "normalization."

The clarification, issued on Thursday, insists the Cardinal’s remarks were "misunderstood" and were not a reference to relations with any other country, following swift criticism from Iraq's prime minister and a prominent Shiite cleric.

The controversy erupted during Christmas celebrations at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Baghdad, attended by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and other senior officials. In his address, Cardinal Sako stated the world needed to "return to Iraq," adding: "There is talk of normalization, and I hope that Iraq, the land of the prophets, will pursue normalization, because just as the Talmud was written in Babylon, the world should come to Iraq, not elsewhere."

In Iraq, the term "normalization" is politically explosive and almost exclusively associated with establishing relations with Israel. The country passed a law in 2022 criminalizing normalization with Israel, punishable by life imprisonment or even death.

Prime Minister al-Sudani responded directly during the same ceremony, asserting that the term "does not exist in Iraq’s political vocabulary," as it is linked to "an occupying entity that has violated people’s rights." He emphasized Iraq's path is based on "coexistence, brotherhood and mutual respect" within the framework of sovereignty.

Influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also intervened, calling for legal accountability for anyone advocating for normalization, which he described as prohibited by Iraqi law. Al-Sadr, whose bloc won the largest number of parliamentary seats in 2021 before he withdrew his lawmakers, maintains significant social and political influence and has consistently taken a hardline stance against Israel.

The Chaldean Patriarchate's statement sought to defuse the situation, explaining that Cardinal Sako’s intention was "solely to call for the normalization of the world’s relationship with Iraq itself." It framed Iraq as a historical and civilizational center that should regain its global cultural, religious, and tourism standing.

The Patriarchate noted that Sako further explained his metaphorical meaning in a subsequent interview with Al-Sharqiya television, stating he was calling for the restoration of Iraq's image after decades of conflict and encouraging global engagement with its heritage and religious diversity.

Cardinal Sako, the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church—one of the oldest Christian communities in the world—has long advocated for protecting Iraq’s religious diversity and encouraging exiled Christians to return. Iraq's Christian population has plummeted from an estimated 1.5 million before 2003 to just a few hundred thousand today, following war, persecution, and instability.