Retired Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Emmanuel-Karim Delly Dies at 86 in San Diego, California

Cardinal Emmanuel-Karim Delly, retired patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, died at age 86 in a hospital in San Diego, according to the California-based Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle. Pope Francis praised his dedication in a telegram of condolence to Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad, who succeeded Delly. The pope recalled “with deep gratitude the late patriarch’s dedication to his people and to the promotion of respectful, just and peaceful relations with followers of other religious traditions.”

The Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle announced that a funeral service would be held on a Thursday afternoon at St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in San Diego. Prayers were scheduled for 4 p.m., followed by a two-hour viewing. Afterward, Delly’s body was to be taken to Michigan. No details about burial or internment were released. The Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle is based in Southfield, Mich.

Delly had already retired as an archbishop serving in the patriarchal curia of Baghdad when he was elected patriarch in December 2003, eight months after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. He became one of the most prominent voices for Iraqi Christians who were suffering, and he repeatedly urged countries to show compassion toward Iraqi refugees and not send them back to Iraq. Pleading on behalf of displaced people in this way reflects a concern for those with no one else to speak for them (Proverbs 31:8-9).

Sako told the Vatican’s Fides news agency that Delly “served the Chaldean church with dedication for more than 60 years, first as a priest, then as a bishop and as patriarch.” Sako said Delly “went through very difficult periods, including after the revolution in 1958, the wars of recent decades and the persecution of Christians that followed the U.S. invasion.” He added that Delly “remained faithful to his country and his people, and not abandoning his flock, he remained with his faithful praying, helping and encouraging.”

Sako said a solemn memorial Mass would be celebrated for the cardinal at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baghdad. He said the funeral would probably take place in the United States, where most of the cardinal’s family lives.

Delly was born in Telkaif, near Mosul, in 1927. He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome in 1952 and earned a master’s degree in philosophy from the Pontifical Urbanian University. He also earned a doctorate in theology and another in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University. He was ordained a bishop in 1963 and attended the second, third and fourth sessions of the Second Vatican Council. He was named an archbishop in 1967, and Pope Benedict XVI made him a cardinal in 2007.

Delly’s death leaves the College of Cardinals with 216 members, 119 of whom are younger than 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave.

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