SW News: Representatives from 11 European nations declared their support for Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako amid the surging social media campaign against him. The Patriarch, who leads the country's Chaldean Church, has come under fire for his remarks over the political representation of Iraq's historic Christian minority.
In a statement released on May 14, the European states supported Cardinal Sako and emphasized the significance of his work defending Christians' rights on the land they had inhabited for over two thousand years. With the assistance of ambassadors from other European nations, the group, which included representatives from France, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the European Union, released a statement endorsing the Patriarch.
The ambassadors to Iraq mention in the statement that they met with the Cardinal to convey their support in light of the recent attacks against him in public and their concern for Iraq's Christians and other religious minorities.
Cardinal Sako came under attack following his criticism of the Babylon Movement, a political group claiming to speak for Iraq's Christian minority. Four of the five parliamentary seats that the Iraqi constitution guarantees to Christians are now held by the Movement. However, Patriarch Sako and other Christian leaders have said that the Movement's claim to be associated with the Chaldean Church is false and that it does not speak for the nation's Christians. The prelate was then subjected to attacks through a social media campaign.
Meanwhile, more than two hundred Christians gathered in Tahrir Square in Baghdad on May 12 to proclaim their solidarity with the Chaldean Patriarch. Nuns and priests took part in the solidarity demonstration alongside hundreds of faithful. The demonstrators called on the authorities to intervene to ensure that the electoral seats reserved for Christians in the Iraqi parliament are not occupied by groups linked to the main parties. They further prayed for peace and unity among Christians in Iraq.