Pablo III Nona Elected Chaldean Catholic Patriarch After Cardinal Sako’s Resignation

Pablo III Nona has been elected Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, according to Rome Reports and the Spanish-language outlet Aleteia. Aleteia reports that he was chosen by the Synod of the Chaldeans, and describes the election as the beginning of a new stage for the Church. Rome Reports says he was born in a small Christian town in the north of Nineveh, near Mosul.

Rome Reports says Mosul fell to the Islamic State in 2014. Nona was archbishop at the time and was forced to flee Mosul, relocating to Sydney. Rome Reports says the Chaldean Church is now a minority group, with many members displaced by the conflict in Mosul, and that most of the Chaldean diaspora has settled in the United States, Australia and Europe.

Aleteia places the election in a context marked by war, migration and reconstruction. It describes the new Patriarch as someone who knows closely the suffering of his people. The headline of one report links the election to the resignation of Cardinal Sako, but the reports supplied do not describe that resignation further.

Rome Reports quotes Nona’s stated commitment to serve as a father to all members of the Church and to accompany the faithful, a pledge to stand with people in their suffering (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Rome Reports also states that the Chaldean Church maintains full communion with the Roman Catholic Church while preserving its distinct identity.