Cardinal Sako: Iraqi Christians will not be dragged into conflicts

Shafaq News –Erbil (Updated at 23:18)

Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako on Thursday condemned the vandalism of a Christian cemetery in the town of Koya in Erbil, the kurdistan Region’s capital, describing it as a “criminal act” that violates ethical and religious norms.

He said it targeted “the dead who cannot defend themselves,” warning that Christians have already “paid a heavy price for conflicts we are not part of,” stressing the Church’s refusal to be drawn into political or factional disputes.

Sako called on Kurdish authorities to launch a professional and transparent investigation, cautioning that inaction could push more families to leave the country, while expressing confidence in the Region’s ability to ensure accountability.

Before the 2003 war, Iraq’s Christians—mostly Chaldean Catholics, Assyrians, and Syriac Orthodox—were estimated at between 1.2 and 1.5 million, concentrated in Baghdad, Mosul, Basra, and northern towns across the Nineveh Plain. Over two decades, their numbers fell to under 250,000, according to church and humanitarian estimates.

Earlier today, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani condemned the destruction of the headstones, calling the act an affront to the values of coexistence in Kurdistan. He said such behavior “does not reflect the traditions or long-standing culture of Kurdish people,” and urged authorities to bring those responsible to justice without delay.

The Kurdish Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs separately denounced the incident, reporting that unknown individuals had damaged several grave markers overnight in Koya’s Christian cemetery.

Read more: Stolen lives, stolen Homes: the plight of Iraqi Christians