Chaldean Catholic Church: history, East Syriac rite, Iraq

IOverview

The Chaldean Catholic Church is the part of the ancient Church of the East in Mesopotamia that chose communion with Rome. The name Chaldean borrows the ancient name of southern Mesopotamia and was used by Rome for this community from the 15th century.

It follows the East Syriac rite, sharing roots with the Assyrian Church of the East and the Syro-Malabar Church in India. Its liturgy uses Classical Syriac, the modern Aramaic that Chaldeans call Sureth, and Arabic. Its head is styled Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon and is seated in Baghdad. It is the largest Christian church in Iraq.

IIHistory

In the Middle Ages the Church of the East was the most far-reaching missionary church in Asia, spreading from Mesopotamia to Persia, Central Asia, India and as far as Tang China. In the mid 16th century a dispute over hereditary succession to the patriarchate led a group of bishops to elect Yohannan Sulaqa and send him to Rome. From that act grew a patriarchal line in communion with Rome, which broke and resumed several times before it settled.

1553Yohannan Sulaqa
Received into communion and confirmed as patriarch by Pope Julius III.
1681The Diyarbakir line
Rome recognises Joseph I of Amid, modern Diyarbakir, starting another Catholic patriarchal line.
1830Unification
Pius VIII recognises Yohannan VIII Hormizd as patriarch, and the succession has been unbroken since.
1846Ottoman recognition
The Chaldeans are recognised by the Ottoman Empire as a separate community.
1950To Baghdad
The patriarchal seat moves to Baghdad.
2013 and 2026The two latest patriarchs
Louis Raphaël I Sako serves as patriarch from 2013, is made a cardinal in 2018 and resigns on 10 March 2026. On 12 April 2026 the synod, meeting in Rome, elects Archbishop Amel Nona, who takes the name Paul III.

IIITeachings and Distinctives

In doctrine the church believes what the whole Catholic Church believes. Its own heritage is East Syriac theology and poetry, with writers such as Saint Ephrem. Its main Eucharistic prayer is the anaphora of Addai and Mari, one of the oldest still in use.

According to the historical record

In 2001 the Holy See issued guidelines allowing Chaldean faithful and members of the Assyrian Church of the East, when necessary, to receive communion in each other's churches. The document recognised the validity of the anaphora of Addai and Mari, although it lacks the words of institution in the form familiar in the West. It marked a major step in relations between the two churches of common origin.

IVPractice, Liturgy and Life

The Eucharist is called the Qurbana. The liturgical year is divided into seasons of seven weeks in the East Syriac manner. A distinctive observance is the Rogation of the Ninevites, known as Ba'utha, a short fast before Lent recalling the call to repentance in the Book of Jonah. Priests may be married, while bishops are chosen from the celibate clergy.

In March 2021 Pope Francis visited Iraq, the first pope to do so, and celebrated Mass in the Chaldean rite at Saint Joseph's Cathedral in Baghdad.

VOrganisation and Distribution

The synod elects the patriarch, who then asks the Pope for ecclesial communion. According to the Annuario Pontificio 2023 the church has 646,581 members. In Iraq the faithful live mainly in Baghdad, the Mosul area and the Nineveh Plains, and the Kurdistan region around Erbil. Iraq's Christian population fell sharply after 2003 and after the Islamic State group seized Mosul and the Nineveh Plains in 2014. There is no reliable current figure for the number of Chaldeans still in Iraq.

Abroad, the largest community lives in Michigan around Detroit, in the Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle, followed by the Eparchy of Saint Peter in San Diego and eparchies in Australia and Canada. Many other communities live in Europe, notably in Sweden and Germany.

VIIn Vietnam

There is no significant Chaldean community in Vietnam, and no source was found for a Chaldean parish or priest here. Under Eastern canon law, faithful living where their own church has no eparchy come under the local bishop, so any Chaldeans in Vietnam would usually attend Mass in a Latin parish. Vietnamese readers may note that the same East Syriac tradition this church inherits reached Tang China, leaving the Nestorian Stele erected in Xi'an in 781.

VIISymbol of the Branch

No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.

VIIIOther Branches of Catholicism

Latin ChurchEcclesia LatinaThe largest of the 24 churches that make up the Catholic Church, headed directly by the Bishop of Rome.

Syro-Malabar Catholic ChurchSyro-Malabar SabhaThe largest Eastern Catholic Church, rooted in the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, India.

Ukrainian Greek Catholic ChurchУкраїнська греко-католицька церкваThe largest Byzantine-rite Eastern Catholic Church.

Maronite Churchالكنيسة المارونيةA West Syriac rite church named after the hermit Saint Maron.

Melkite Greek Catholic Churchكنيسة الروم الملكيين الكاثوليكA Byzantine-rite church worshipping in Arabic and Greek, rooted in the See of Antioch.Uses the common symbol of the path

Armenian Catholic ChurchՀայ Կաթողիկե ԵկեղեցիAn Armenian-rite church in communion with Rome, led by the Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia seated in Beirut.Uses the common symbol of the path

Chaldean Catholic Churchܥܕܬܐ ܟܠܕܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐAn East Syriac rite church worshipping in Syriac and Arabic, led by the Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon seated in Baghdad.Uses the common symbol of the path

Syro-Malankara Catholic ChurchMalankara Suriyani Katholika SabhaA church of the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala using the West Syriac rite, in communion with Rome since 1930.

IXSources

The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.

?Quick Questions

What is the difference between Chaldean and Assyrian?

Both come from the Church of the East in Mesopotamia and use the East Syriac rite. The Chaldean Catholic Church is in communion with Rome, the Assyrian Church of the East is not. As labels of ethnic identity, Chaldean and Assyrian are debated within the community itself.

What language do Chaldeans speak?

Many speak a modern Aramaic called Sureth, alongside Arabic, Kurdish and, abroad, English. The liturgy uses Classical Syriac, Sureth and Arabic.

Who is the current Chaldean patriarch?

Paul III Nona, elected by the synod on 12 April 2026 after Cardinal Louis Raphaël I Sako resigned in March 2026.

The Chaldean Catholic Church: Heir of the Church of the East and the Christians of Iraq