Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, the largest Assyrian denomination in Iraq, has come under criticism following remarks made during Christmas Mass in Baghdad in which he used the term “normalization,” a word that carries strong political connotations in Iraq and the wider Middle East.
In regional discourse, “normalization” is closely associated with the establishment of relations with Israel, an act that is prohibited under Iraqi law. Speaking on Wednesday at St. Joseph’s Chaldean Cathedral, in the presence of caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, Cardinal Sako said: “There is talk about normalization, and I hope from the new government that normalization in Iraq and with Iraq will take place. Iraq is the land of the prophets. Just as the Talmud was written in Babylon, the world should come to Iraq, not elsewhere.”
The Patriarch’s use of the terms “normalization” and “Talmud” was interpreted by some as a reference to relations with Israel, a highly sensitive issue in Iraq. Prime Minister al-Sudani later responded by rejecting the political framing of the term, stating that Iraq does not require normalization in that sense. “What Iraq needs is brotherhood, love, and coexistence,” he said, adding that Iraq’s relationships are governed by moral, religious, constitutional, and legal principles. He stressed that the term “normalization” is associated with “an occupying power that violates land and humanity.”
Under Iraq’s 2022 law criminalizing contact with Israel, any form of diplomatic, political, military, economic, or cultural relations with the so-called “Zionist entity” is prohibited, with penalties ranging from imprisonment to life sentences or capital punishment.
The term “normalization” has gained wider regional prominence through the Abraham Accords, a U.S.-backed initiative that led the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco to establish formal relations with Israel, with Washington seeking to expand the framework to other countries.
Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr condemned Cardinal Sako’s remarks, describing normalization as a crime under Iraqi law and warning that anyone advocating it, regardless of position, would face legal consequences.
In response to the backlash, the Patriarchate issued a clarification on Thursday stating that Cardinal Sako had not referred to Israel. The statement emphasized that his remarks were intended to highlight Iraq’s cultural and civilizational significance, not political normalization. It described Iraq as the birthplace of Abraham and one of the world’s earliest centers of civilization.
“Iraq, from Basra to Zakho, is a living museum,” the statement said, adding that the country’s historical heritage should be leveraged to promote tourism and economic development, particularly as reliance on oil resources is unsustainable.
