As we learn today, March 10, 2026, of the resignation of His Beatitude Cardinal Louis Raphaël I Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, L’Œuvre d’Orient wishes to give thanks for his most fruitful ministry.
Born on July 4, 1948, in northern Iraq and ordained a priest in 1974, His Beatitude Louis Raphaël I Sako was elected Archbishop of Kirkuk by the Synod of Chaldean Bishops in 2002. Following Cardinal Emmanuel III Karim Delly’s resignation as Patriarch of Babylon, Archbishop Sako was chosen by the Synod of the Chaldean Church to succeed him on January 28, 2013.
Having witnessed the rise of fundamentalism in the region, the 2003 Iraq War, and the emergence of ISIS, His Beatitude Louis Raphaël Sako has consistently promoted tolerance and religious freedom. His tireless work for peace in Iraq earned him the Defensor fidei Award in 2008 and the Pax Christi Award in 2010.
By creating him a cardinal in 2018, the Holy Father wished to express his trust and gratitude toward His Beatitude and the entire Chaldean Church. Aware of the unique place of the Eastern Churches within the universal Church, His Beatitude has forged numerous ties with other non-Catholic Eastern communities. His closeness to the Assyrian Church of the East has helped strengthen a shared Eastern Christian identity and has made the Chaldean Church a pioneer of ecumenism.
Through Cardinal Sako, the entire Chaldean Church has distinguished itself as a model of commitment and communion in the service of all. As Iraq is drawn into this new Middle Eastern conflict, L’Œuvre d’Orient joins the Chaldean Church in its prayers for the appointment of a new patriarch, who will face major challenges for his Church in a highly uncertain regional context.
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