Chaldean Patriarch Resigns as Arrested US Bishop Replaced

Cardinal Louis Raphaël I Sako, Patriarch of Babylon and head of the Chaldean Catholic Church, has resigned. The Holy See announced on Tuesday that Pope Leo XIII had accepted his resignation. In a statement, the patriarch confirmed he submitted his resignation on Monday, expressing his intention to “dedicate myself to prayer, writing and simple service.” He emphasized that his decision was voluntary, clarifying that “no one forced me to do this.”

The same day, the Holy See also announced the resignation of Bishop Emanuel Hana Shaleta from the Chaldean Eparchy of St Peter the Apostle of San Diego. The appointment of Bishop Saad Han Sirop as apostolic administrator of the eparchy followed. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops reported that the Pope had accepted Bishop Shaleta’s resignation in February, with the Pillar website noting he had submitted it in January after a Vatican investigation into allegations of financial and personal misconduct.

Californian police arrested Bishop Shaleta on 5 March at San Diego International Airport while attempting to leave the country. According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began in August when information was received from a church representative. Following his arraignment, Bishop Shaleta pleaded not guilty to eight counts of embezzlement, eight of money laundering, and a further count of “aggravated white collar crime enhancement,” applicable in state law to financial crimes exceeding $100,000.

The eparchy issued a statement from its priests following the arrest, asking “the Lord to protect our eparchy and bishop from all of the negative attacks” and declaring “solidarity” with them. The Chaldean Patriarchate had previously acknowledged complaints from members of the eparchy regarding the mishandling of diocesan funds and allegations of inappropriate relationships. It emphasized the need for careful and objective review of such allegations, urging that they not be resolved outside of the appropriate process.

The patriarchate confirmed that the Holy See had investigated the allegations with the cooperation of the patriarchate. Following Bishop Shaleta’s arrest, Patriarch Sako sent a pastoral letter to the eparchy, urging its members not to “give place to v” [source excerpt truncated].

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