Chaldean Patriarch reported to dispute Vatican ruling overturning his order

January 19, 2015

Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako has challenged a Vatican decision overruling his order for Chaldean priests to return to Iraq, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

The Iraqi Patriarch had announced last year that Chaldean priests who fled Iraq without episcopal permission were required to return, or face suspension from ministry. But earlier this month the Vatican reportedly accepted the appeal of Father Noel Gorgis, a Chaldean priest who is now serving a parish in California.

The Chaldean Patriarch has said that the Vatican does not have authority to overturn his order, the Los Angeles Times says. The report, if accurate, points to a test of the lines of authority between the Vatican and the Eastern churches which, while in full communion with Rome, maintain their own independent episcopal authority.

 

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Further information:

• Chaldean priest in San Diego still under orders to return to Iraq (Los Angeles Times)
• Chaldean patriarch says no to Pope (California Catholic Daily)
• Vatican overturns Chaldean Patriarch's suspension of priests who fled Islamic State (CWN, 1/9)