As elections approach, Chaldean Church emphasizes: politics is responsibility of laity

April 18, 2013

Only three of the 447 contested seats in upcoming local Iraqi elections have been reserved for Christians, who make up 3% of the nation’s population. Patriarch Louis Raphaël I Sako, head of the Chaldean Catholic Church since February, has encouraged Iraqi Christians to vote in the elections.

“The Patriarchate distinguishes political work from the work of the Church,” a Church spokesman said in a statement. “A reality and an extended institution like the Chaldean Church cannot directly get involved in political work and the divisions that it entails, because this would be done at the expense of its evangelical mission. Political work is the responsibility of the laity.”

 

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Further information:

• Provincial elections: 3 seats out of 447 reserved for Christians (Fides)
• The Chaldean Patriarch: Christians are encouraged to participate in the next election, but politics is the responsibility of the laity (Fides)
• Attackers Strike Across Iraq as Elections Approach (New York Times)