New Chaldean patriarch elected for Iraq amid pope's calls he 'should be' a 'father in faith'

Iraqi Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona, who until now led the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle of Australia and New Zealand, was elected patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, succeeding Cardinal Louis Sako.

Nona was elected April 12 during a Synod of Bishops convened in Rome, and he chose the name Paul III, the Chaldean patriarchate announced.

"His Beatitude announced his acceptance of the election in accordance with the requirements of the Church laws, expressing his reliance on God's grace, and his commitment to exercising his patriarchal service in a spirit of fidelity and responsibility, in full communion with the Synod Fathers, and in service to the unity of the Chaldean Church and its mission in the homeland and the countries of the diaspora," the patriarchate said.

Born in Alqosh in Iraq's Nineveh Plains on Nov. 1, 1967, the new Chaldean patriarch served as a priest in the Diocese of Alqosh. He received episcopal ordination in 2010, which, at 42 years of age, made him the youngest Chaldean archbishop in the world.

After his ordination, he served as archbishop of Mosul, where he was displaced in 2014 due to the invasion by the Islamic State, the patriarchate said.

"His Beatitude was also known for the depth of his theological thought, his human closeness to his people, and his courage in bearing witness to the faith amidst challenges, carrying a message of hope in the heart of pain, and embodying the image of the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep," the patriarchate said.

Pope Leo XIV met with Chaldean bishops April 10, prior to their electoral process, and said that "the new Patriarch should be, above all, a father in faith and a sign of communion with all and among all."

While living in accordance with Gospel values can be seen as "countercultural and sometimes even counterproductive," the pope said, it is the right path "because love is the only force that conquers evil and defeats death."

The daily holiness to which the future patriarch is called, the pope said, is "made of honesty, mercy, and purity of heart," reminding the bishops that "authority in the Church is always service and never hegemony."

Sako welcomed the election of the new patriarch and expressed his "great joy" at the news of the new patriarch's election.

"On this occasion, I offer Your Beatitude my sincerest congratulations and best wishes for a reign filled with achievements, progress and joy," the Iraqi cardinal said. "To be a patriarch is not a title or position, but a message of faith and loving service with courage and hope."

Patriarchs in the region also sent well-wishes to Patriarch Mar Paul, including Maronite Catholic Cardinal Bechara Rai, patriarch of Antioch and all the East.

In a telephone call with the Chaldean patriarch, Rai wished him "continued success in his pastoral and paternal work and expressed his hope for cooperation among sister Eastern Churches in the wounded Middle East."