by Dario Salvi

In an interview with AsiaNews, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako reflects on the days of the Conclave spent alongside the new pontiff and their “very important” first meeting after the election. He describes the “complicated situation” facing Christians in the Middle East, who suffer from a “lack of stability” despite some improvements in security. His first words to Pope Prevost: “We are counting on you.”

Rome (AsiaNews) – The Churches of the Middle East “are facing a very complicated situation,” stemming primarily from a “lack of stability”, even if “security has improved.” The overall context, however, “remains difficult and full of challenges.

That is why the support” of Pope Leo XIV is crucial—vital, in fact, “to prevent the disappearance of Christians from the region.” So says Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad, speaking to AsiaNews in Rome following the Conclave and the new pope’s first jubilee audience, which was directed at the faithful of the Eastern Churches.

“The meeting between the Pope and the Eastern Churches,” the cardinal noted, “was a significant and special moment, because we are not always present [in Rome], whereas on this occasion, we were here for the Jubilee and the inauguration.”

Migration, synodality, and interreligious dialogue are the main issues facing the Churches of the Middle East in this historic period marked by recent violence—from ISIS to the wars in Syria and the Holy Land—and by profound, rapid change.

Maintaining a Christian presence in the region remains a top priority, particularly in Iraq, where the local Christian community has plummeted from around 1.5 million to fewer than 300,000 in just 20 years. Many now serve as “missionaries” in their own land.

The experience of the General Synod, which unites the Patriarch with his bishops, could offer a valuable model for the work the pope will undertake with his cardinals. One key priority is the relationship with other faiths—especially Islam—in a region where Muslims form the majority, both native and migrant.

Recalling the days that led to the election of Pope Leo XIV—especially the two-day Conclave that concluded on the afternoon of 8 May with the fourth ballot—the Chaldean Patriarch said: “I stayed by his side throughout the process. I told him how the Middle East is going through a difficult and critical period, and how great the hope and trust the faithful place in the Pope is. I said to him, ‘We are counting on you,’ at a time,” he added, “when Christians are under threat.”

“Interreligious dialogue is just as important. In this regard,” the cardinal noted, “Pope Francis launched initiatives that have transformed relations—even within the Muslim world itself.”

Dialogue, he warned, should not be merely “theological, but a dialogue of life, of friendship, which is a very important dimension for Islam.” This has been exemplified in visits to Muslim-majority countries: Abu Dhabi for the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity, Bahrain, Jordan, the Maghreb, and Iraq itself—where Cardinal Sako witnessed the historic meeting in Najaf between Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Among the first topics addressed by Pope Leo XIV was the question of the diaspora, which the Chaldean Patriarch described as “very important,” especially for the Iraqi Church, which must respond to the challenges posed by migration.

“The Pope said that the Catholic Church needs the Eastern Churches. I would add that we, as Eastern Churches, need the Catholic Church even more, because our political situation,” he stressed, “is extremely complex.”

One of the first impressions the Chaldean Primate formed of the new pope was his considered and measured style: “He prepares his speeches. He doesn’t speak off the cuff or spontaneously—and this was evident from his very first appearance” from the central loggia of St Peter’s Basilica following his election.

As the pontificate is still in its early stages, “it will take time” to develop a clear agenda and establish priorities. For Cardinal Sako, one major task is to “reorganise the Curia, which is very important. He will need to identify competent, authentic and loyal collaborators.”

Among the requests the cardinal has already made is the proposal to “meet occasionally with other Catholic patriarchs to discuss our situation and face difficulties directly,” and to find ways of “cutting through bureaucracy. We need short-term solutions,” he warned, “because time is not on our side.”

Returning to Iraq, the cardinal brings with him “greetings from Pope Francis, memories of the days of the Conclave, and the election of the new pontiff—an event the Chaldean faithful followed via the Patriarchate’s website.”

He also recalls the time spent alongside the future pope, the Mass celebrated together with the Syro-Malabar, Maronite and Byzantine communities, “which had a powerful impact.”

To this, he adds “the meeting with the Eastern Patriarchs during the Jubilee, at which I delivered a very important speech in the presence of more than 350 Chaldeans who had come on pilgrimage from Iraq, the United States, Canada—all of whom were deeply joyful.”

“It was,” the cardinal concludes, “an opportunity to show the face of the universal Church and its unity—a source of encouragement and hope even in the midst of adversity.”