Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, is facing intense threats in Iraq and neighboring Iran after comments from his Christmas homily were taken out of context and portrayed as a political provocation.
In his Christmas message, the cardinal used the Arabic term often translated as “normalization,” intending a pastoral appeal for peace, healing, social trust, and reconciliation in communities long affected by conflict. The Patriarchate stressed that his remarks were spiritual in nature and not related to politics.
However, in Iraq’s highly charged environment, the word has become politically controversial, often linked to the topic of normalizing relations with Israel. Critics framed the homily as an alleged political stance, sparking an online backlash that rapidly escalated.
Demands circulated on social media calling for investigations and prosecution. Some voices went further, demanding not only the cardinal’s arrest but even calling for his execution, according to reports from Chaldean Press.
Among Chaldean Catholics themselves, media reports indicate that the vast majority saw no political intent in the Christmas homily. For many, the uproar appears to be a deliberate misrepresentation of the cardinal’s long-standing calls for coexistence and unity in a fractured society.