Following is the text of Christmas Message 2024 issued by Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako:

His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako sent the following 2024 Christmas and New Year message:

“Glory to God in the highest and peace on Earth.” (Luke 2:14)

It is nothing but words of hope from heaven for the future of fatigued humanity.

In the midst of the current exceptional situation that the nations of our region are experiencing with anxiety and fear, Christians are preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ, the birth of hope, fraternity values, love, peace, security and goodness for all. The mission of Christ was and still is for humanity to be more honest living in an environment well-intentioned for human dignity. In other words, we should reborn from God to initiate a new journey.

While the Chaldean Church does not hide its concern and fears regarding what is happening, it confirms that Christmas prayers are for peace and security in the region and around the world. Also, it expresses its solidarity with all those living in difficult and apprehensive circumstances as well as the humanitarian needs in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere.

Based on the peaceful message of Christmas, the Chaldean Church calls upon all world LEADERS to show responsibility and courage in finding  enduring peaceful solutions to terminate the conflicts in the region. Solutions that rise to the aspirations of the regional nations in having a concrete security, comprehensive reform that restores their rights, dignity and sovereignty.

The East, historically known as the cradle of prophets, land of civilizations and glories, needs in these difficult circumstances rationality, wisdom, discernment and joined efforts to achieve national reconciliation and move towards a better future, rather than being dragged into more conflicts and divisions.

His Holiness Pope Francis addressed for the World Day of Peace, to be celebrated on January 1, 2025: “May 2025 be a year in which peace grows! A true and permanent peace, one that does not stop at the “tricky” agreements or at the table of half-measures of humanitarian solutions. Let us seek true peace, which God grants to a heart that has been disarmed, a heart that overcomes despair for a future full of hope, believing that every human being is a treasure for this world.”

Regarding Iraq, we call for holding onto a comprehensive national identity: building a state based on citizenship, according to modern foundations that guarantee equality for all Iraqis, restricting the use of weapons, fighting corruption, and rejecting both sectarianism and the spirit of revenge, same as stated by the Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani few weeks ago. The diversity of ethnic and religious identities as a richness in our societies, should be respected. Overall, we must join forces, and work together for the good of our country because we are sharing this land.

Christian Fears, we are a fundamental component of the Iraqi fabric, our presence is deeply rooted in the history of Iraq (Mesopotamia), we are the Chaldeans of the Kingdom of Babylon, Al-Mada’in (Baghdad), the “House of Wisdom”, the Assyrians of the Nineveh Kingdom and the Syriacs of Tikrit and the Monastery of St. Mattai. Christians are among the founders of Iraq, and their loyalty has always been to their country. However, in the last two decades Christians have suffered a lot from “conflicts”, the rise of hatred discourses (promoted by Al-Qaeda and ISIS elements), marginalization and the seizure of their competences and properties, which prompted two-thirds of them to emigrate, in spite of being the elite.

Our desire is to stay on our land, communicate and keep good relations with everyone. As long as we hold the same identity as all Iraqis. we are waiting eagerly to restore our rights and given a chance to play a role in building the new Iraq and consolidating coexistence. We hope that the government will do us justice with actions and not word. We will never ever submit to any armed faction!   

Finally, in Christmas and the Holy Jubilee Year 2025, the Year of Hope, we raise our prayers to God so that peace, security and safety may triumph for all as God wants.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Iraq and the whole world.