I'm Not Seeking Normalization with Zionist Regime

Following the recent controversy over the use of the term "normalization of relations," the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church of Iraq sent a message to Muqtada al-Sadr, stressing that his remarks at the Christmas service were distorted and had no intention of normalizing relations with Israel.

News ID: 87096

Date: 28 December 2025 - 10:06

TEHRAN (Defapress) - Continuing the reactions to the controversial statements of the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church of Iraq, Louis Raphael Sako, sent a message to Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Sadrist movement in Iraq, today (Saturday), expressing regret and sadness over the interpretations of his remarks.

In this message, Sako clarified that his speech at the Christmas Eve Mass in Baghdad on December 24th "went out of its true context and meaning." He emphasized that in those remarks, he did not in any way refer to political normalization with Israel or any other form of relations with it.

Referring to the high sensitivity of this issue in Iraq, he wrote in this message to Sadr: “I am fully aware of the consequences and sensitivity of using such a word, and I have never intended to raise the issue of normalization with what is called the Zionist regime.

The Patriarch of the Chaldean Church further explained that his intention in using the word “normalization” was to call for drawing the world’s attention to Iraq, a country that, according to him, is “the land of the prophets and the cradle of civilizations” and can gain significant economic and cultural benefits through the prosperity of religious and ancient tourism.

In recent days, Sako’s use of the word “normalization” at the Christmas ceremony has led to a wave of political and media reactions in Iraq. After criticism mounted, the Chaldean Patriarch also announced in a statement that the meaning of this word was “normalizing the world’s interaction with Iraq.”

At the same time, the then Iraqi Prime Minister, Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, rejected the use of the term, considering it synonymous with a relationship with “an occupying regime” in the country’s political atmosphere. Muqtada al-Sadr also called for legal action against any promotion of normalization, which is considered a criminal act according to a law passed by the Iraqi parliament.