Christianity in Iraq المسيحية في العراق    
كنيسة المشرق الكلدانية-الاثورية   
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    Churches of Iraq         

                                                              Chaldeans

Old inhabitants of Iraq. They accepted Christianity, and were faithful to it and to Iraq. Their language is still holding its ground till today, written as well as spoken. Despite their careful Guardian ship of their uniqueness, they were able to be part of this area and its national fabric. They constitute the third largest ethnic segment of the Iraq population after Arabs and Kurds.

The Chaldean Catholic Church was affiliated to the Roman Catholic Church through the Eastern Rite. It is one of the eighteen Eastern Rites recognized in Rome.

The language of the Chaldean people is Aramaic, the same language spoken by Jesus Christ, but with a different dialect.

Our Christianity goes back all the way to St. Thomas the Apostle and his disciples Saints Addai and Mari. We still hold on to our East Syrian liturgy of Addai and Mari, and it is performed in Syriac.

Throughout the world, Chaldeans number more than one million. The greatest concentration is in Mesopotamia – Iraq (650000), U.S.A. (200000),….

The head of the church is based in Baghdad, Iraq, and his title is Catholics Patriarch (Mar Emmanuel III Delli). Below him, there are:  4 archdioceses, 14 dioceses, 130 priest, and more than 400 monks and nuns in: Iraq, U.S.A., Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Canada.

Pastoral centers in which only a priest service include: the United Kingdom, France, Holland, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Georgia and Jordan, Australia, New Zealand.                                                       

Educational Activities

1-The Chaldean Seminary, 2-Babil College, 3-Institute for Christian Education

4-Marriage Council Course, 5-Centres for religious instructions, and different theological centers.

6-Nursary Centers and Primary schools.

Publications

12 Magazines and Newsletter

Activities

A charity organisation, printing press, publishing centre, Television and Radio broadcast, Websites…

History
By the fall of the Assyrian Empire (612 B.C.) and Babylonian (Chaldean) Empire (539 B.C.), Mesopotamia was still predominantly pagan.

Christianity: With the advent of Christianity, most of the nation gradually converted, largely through the missionary works of Saints Addai and Mari.

Schism: In Iraq, a turning point in Christianity took place in 431 A.D., when the patriarch of Constantinople, Nestorius, differed with the rest of the Roman Catholic Church over specific dogmas concerning Christ's personhood. The Eastern sector was divided as a result of this split over church principles.

7th century: Most of Iraq remained Christian, until the advent of Islam but even in those early years. There were sizable numbers of Christians and pagans, as well as Jews.

In 1551: When The Patriarch John Sulaka goes to Rome and professed his Catholic faith, many Iraqi Christians followed him. The Catholic branch came to be called Chaldean, or Chaldean Catholic.

TODAY

Today, Iraq, homeland of our Father Abraham, is going through the most difficult years. The country is in bad situation, need efforts to provide order. So we appeal you to pray for us.

We need your help to rebuilt our community of faith, that have been shattered by devastation

We also encourage our self together to be worthy witnesses of the Apostles today, so as to tirelessly pursue, with appropriate pastoral initiatives, the ministry entrusted to the new evangelization and us. 

We are called to make Christ’s face present in our land, which illumines all human deeds and gives life its full meaning.

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