Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq and worldwide, said he has been subjected to threats and personal harassment amid controversy surrounding comments attributed to him on relations between Iraq and Israel, adding that Iraq’s top Shia religious authority has taken no public position on the matter.

Speaking in a televised interview, Sako denied claims that he had called for the normalization of relations with Israel. He stressed that he never used the term “normalization,” explaining that he had expressed a personal opinion that was later distorted and interpreted differently by others.

The cardinal also said that while he accompanied Pope Francis during a visit to Jordan, he refused to travel with him to Israel, underscoring his sensitivity to the political context.

According to Sako, the controversy has resulted in threats against his life and ongoing harassment. He emphasized his dual identity as a senior Catholic leader representing approximately 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide and as a deeply rooted Iraqi citizen, noting that his ancestors are buried in Kufa.

Sako highlighted the dramatic decline of Iraq’s Christian community over the past two decades. He said around one million Christians have emigrated, approximately 1,500 have been killed, and about 1,200 Christian-owned properties have been seized. He added that only cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had temporarily responded to his appeals to return confiscated properties, leading to the recovery of around 100 properties.

Tensions between Cardinal Sako and Iraqi authorities escalated in July 2023, when President Abdul Latif Rashid revoked a 2013 presidential decree issued by former president Jalal Talabani. The decree had formally recognized Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church and granted him authority over church properties and assets.

The revocation triggered widespread concern among Christians in Iraq and abroad and was widely viewed as further marginalizing the Christian community. In response, Sako moved the headquarters of the Chaldean Patriarchate from Baghdad to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, stating he would not return until his official status was restored.

After nearly a year of crisis and mediation efforts by domestic and international actors, including a formal invitation from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, Sako returned to Baghdad in April 2024. In June 2024, Sudani issued a new decree officially recognizing Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholics in Iraq and worldwide.