The Assyrian Democratic Organization
Archbishop Shlimon Wardoni, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Chaldean Catholic Church, stated in the opening ceremony that the aim and goal of the heads of churches and sects in Iraq is to establish Independent Church Council. In that Council, all Christians will work together in order to unify their voice in dealing with the state and people.
Furthermore, the council will work and construct in a way so that every ethnic and every sect becomes an integral part of it and without any of them the council will be incomplete and its work adverse. He added that the Independent Church Council would administer its affairs by itself; however, it will consult with the Church authority. The Independent Church Council will chose its own title that will represent it inclusively in the new Iraqi Constitution where religions will not be mentioned rather ethnic groups.
Bishop Warduni clarified further that the main reason for holding this conference is to clarify thoughts and exchange opinions. He added that the present members of the council have agreed on the title “The Independent ChaldoAshur Council” only for the sake of unified representation and is not intended to melt any of the nationalities or ethnic groups rather to give a title to include everyone in general. “Now, if all these nationalities”, he added, “were mentioned in the constitution then that is fine, otherwise let us have a general title that everyone agrees upon.”
It is worth pointing to that in Iraq there are various Christian sects: Chaldean, Assyrian, and Syriac, which represent 5% of the Iraqi people. They live mainly in Mosul and its surrounding villages and towns. They live in Baghdad as well where they number around three quarters of a million.
Warduni considered Christians as an inseparable part of the rooted Iraqi people. “Therefore, we”, he stated, “have to stand together, as we were and still are, for better or for worse. From this logic, Christians must work as one hand, through understanding and cooperation, with their brothers in Islam and the other sects to build the new Iraq.” He pointed that this is the goal and aim of all heads of Churches and Christian sects. He continued to state that “we want the ChaldoAshur Council to be a mosaic piece that include all brilliant colors and gemstones in which if one was lifted from its place then the mosaic’s appearance will lack beauty.”
Meanwhile, member of Iraq Governing Council, Mr Yonadam Kanna (a Christian), criticized the policy of the ousted Iraqi regime towards the Iraqi Christians. He stated that our conference that has gathered us here from the four corners of the world is great positive indicator for our nation’s struggle that suffered too much dispersion and negative stands throughout the centuries.
Meanwhile, Mr. Imad Chamoun (Lebanese), head of the International Maronite Council and the representative of Mar Nasrallah Sfir, Patriarch of the Maronite Church, stated in his speech that the first of the recommendations that this conference could come out with is to demand from the present Iraqi Governing Council to acknowledge the ethnic presence of the KaldoAshuri (ChaldoAssyrian) people in Iraq: “This is to be an alarm that we are not only the sons and daughters of a Chaldean and Assyrian Church alone; rather we are ChaldoAssyrians ethnically.”
Mr. Ibrahim al-Ja’fari, member of the Iraqi Governing Council, stated that we want the new Iraqi society to be built on the foundation of diversity. A society that is big enough for all the geopolitical factors without distinction between people. He added that Iraq is not a country for you rather Iraq is your country; Iraq is not only a land you meet each other accidentally, it is a contract between you and the land that made you who you are.
Patrick Kennedy, the representative of the Civil Administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, asserted in his speech that the Christians of Iraq have a rooted history in language, heritage, religion that goes back to father Abraham and the Sumerian Civilization. He added, “where I come from, civilization in it does not exceed few hundred years. I stand to honor your power that saved your churches despite hundreds of years of challenges and persecution.”
