Iraq's Cardinal Louis Sako hopes interfaith dialogue will be priority for next pope

He will be among 136 cardinals eligible to vote on who will succeed Pope Francis as head of the Catholic Church

Cardinal Louis Sako, patriarch of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church, in Baghdad on April 21. AP Photo

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The successor to Pope Francis should continue his work of promoting interfaith dialogue, especially between Christians and Muslims, Cardinal Louis Sako, the head of Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Church, told The National.

Promoting harmony between religions was one of the hallmarks of Francis’s 12-year papacy, along with speaking up for the poor, the marginalised and people suffering the effects of war. The pontiff’s funeral will be held in Rome on Saturday, five days after he passed away at the age of 88.

Cardinal Sako, 76, is one of 136 cardinals who will be gathering in Rome to choose the next pope by secret ballot. Only cardinals aged under 80 are allowed to vote.

“I wish the next pope can be as humble, humanitarian as Pope Francis. I hope he will consider and promote dialogue between religions, especially Islam as it is the next biggest religion after Christianity, so that dialogue between religions will be kept going,” he said.

The pope is usually chosen from among the church’s college of cardinals, and Cardinal Sako has received the endorsement of the Iraqi government as a candidate to succeed Pope Francis.

Cardinal Sako said the death of Francis, who he described as “a shield for humanity”, was a big loss to the world and especially for the Middle East, which is going through a time of increased tension.

“He was a spiritual and humanitarian person who left a mark on the world as he attempted to modernise the church and the world. He stood against corruption and oppressors and supported those who were neglected and persecuted,” he said.

His last meeting with Pope Francis was in October, which lasted about 15 minutes, Cardinal Sako said.

“I feel like a father has left us,” he added. “I was in total shock when I heard the news.”

Cardinal Sako was born in Zakho, northern Iraq, and has played a central role in interfaith dialogue in the country. Pope Francis elevated him to cardinal in June 2018, and visited Iraq in 2021 in what was seen as a major show of support to the country's Christian population.

Many Iraqi Christians fled abroad after sectarian warfare broke out in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion. The plight of those who remained grew worse when ISIS seized large areas of northern and western Iraq in 2014 and persecuted religious minorities. The extremist group was defeated and driven out of the territory it seized by the end of 2017.

However, Christians have not seen much improvement until now, Cardinal Sako said.

“We are suffering immensely and there is little that has changed for the Christians of Iraq. Many are still unable to return to their homes as it remains unsafe,” he said.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Al Sudani said this week that Cardinal Sako had his “unwavering support” to become the next pope.

“We reaffirm our unwavering support for His Beatitude Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako, the sole nominee from the Middle East to succeed the late Pope Francis (may his soul rest in peace) as the head of the Holy See in the Vatican,” Mr Al Sudani said in a statement.

Speculation about the next pope has seen cardinals from Europe, the US, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East cited as possible successors to Francis.

“There is no nomination or general election for the pope’s position, however, wherever there is a cardinal in the world, the country to which they belong nominates them for the position,” Cardinal Sako said.

Christianity in Iraq dates back to the first century AD, when the apostles Thomas and Thaddeus are believed to have preached the gospel on the fertile floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.