Monday, February 4, 2013

POPE TO NEW PATRIARCH OF BABYLON OF THE CHALDEANS: MINISTRY AT THE SERVICE OF RECONCILIATION, MUTUAL ACCEPTANCE, AND PEACE FOR THE IRAQI PEOPLES

Vatican City, 3 February 2013 (VIS) – Benedict XVI has written a letter to His Beatitude Louis Raphael Sako, the new Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, granting the "Ecclesiastica Communio" requested of him by the Patriarch.

In the text the Pope asks the Lord to fill His Beatitude with "every grace and blessing" and that he be enlightened "in order to tirelessly proclaim the Gospel, following the living tradition that dates back to St. Thomas the Apostle. May the good and eternal Shepherd sustain you in the faith of our fathers and give you the zeal of yesterday's and today's martyrs to safeguard the spiritual and liturgical heritage of the venerated Chaldean Church as its 'Pater et Caput'. May your ministry be a comfort to the faithful Chaldeans in the motherland and in diaspora, but also to the entire Catholic community and for Christians living in the land of Abraham, as a stimulus for reconciliation, for mutual acceptance, and for peace for the entire Iraqi population."

At the same time, the Holy Father wrote a letter, in Latin, to Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, naming him as the pontifical delegate to preside, Monday, 4 February in the Vatican Basilica, over the Eucharistic celebration in confirmation of the ecclesial communion with the new Patriarch.

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