Chaldean patriarch: Kurdish constitution should mention Christians

May 06, 2015

As lawmakers discuss the wording of a constitution for the autonomous Iraqi region of Kurdistan, the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church called for the inclusion of the word “Christians” in the text.

The draft constitution states that Kurdistan includes “Kurds, Turkmens, Arabs, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Armenians, and others.”

Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako told the Fides news agency that the text implied that religion is less important than ethnicity.

“Now, unfortunately, you hear someone who says: I am more Armenian than Christian, more Assyrian than Christian,” he said.

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Chaldean Patriarch opens discussion on the draft Constitution for the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (Fides)