Interview with Mons. Antonios Mina, responsible of the Chaldean Catholic Church at the Congregation for Oriental Churches and Mons. Philip Najim. Procurator of the Chaldean Catholic Church to the Holy See

To know more about the Chaldean Church in the world and in Iraq in particular, Fides Service interviewed Mons. Antonios Mina, recently appointed by the Holy Father Head Officer of the Congregation for Oriental Churches and person in charge of the Chaldean Catholic Church and Mons. Philip Najim, Procurator of the Chaldean Catholic Church to the Holy See. Interview with Mons. Philip Najim. Procurator of the Chaldean Catholic Church to the Holy See >> Interview with Mons. Antonios Mina, responsible of the Chaldean Catholic Church at the Congregation for Oriental Churches: Fides Service: The Pope says that the Western and Eastern Churches walk together and they are the two “lungs” of the Church. Which is the position of the Chaldean Church in the scenery of Oriental Churches? Mons. Antonios Mina: We have five “families” in the Churches of the East, each with its own rites and traditions: Alexandrian, Antiochene that of Armenian, Chaldean, Byzantine of Constantinople. The Chaldean Church is one of these. It is a glorious Church that came to India and gave rise to the Syro-Malabar branch.

Fides Agency: Eastern Churches have a variety of rites and each Church has its proper liturgical heritage. Where do these differences come from and what do they mean? Some define them as a form of “particularism”: are they not a richness instead?
Mons. Antonios Mina A rite is nothing else but the way in which people adore God. In the early centuries of Christianity, evangelisation came to people with different customs and traditions. Customs are difficult to change, so it happened that customs became Christianised, and specific liturgical ritual heritages were born. This is the reason why all rites are different, as each people had its own language, culture, habits. So this is the way in which rites developed down to our day. One has to go back to origins to discover and understand the heart, origin and meaning of different prayers or gestures. There is a meaning for every ritual gesture, these gestures are ways to reach God. From this point of view, differences can only bring richness to the Church.

Fides Agency: The Chaldean Church knew a great flourishing period in the past and became integrated more and more into the history and life of Iraqi people. What is the situation of the Chaldean Church today?
Mons. Antonios Mina: The Chaldean Catholic Church lived a very flourishing period, both from a spiritual and cultural point of view, but in the last 20 years the situation has changed completely. The Chaldean Church is in trouble like the Iraqi people, reduced to poverty. The situation weighs on the population and on the Church. Because of poverty, many people leave the country and most of those who emigrate are well-educated persons who have contacts in foreign countries and who have a considerable economic wealth. Even the Chaldean Church has experienced progressive impoverishment: training in seminaries is far from satisfactory because of a lack of resources and staff. However it must be pointed out that there are many vocations today: usually when a Church suffers and is under pressure, it grows nearer to God.

Fides Agency: How do Chaldean Catholics live their heritage of faith in a context of restricted freedom of worship and evangelisation?
Mons. Antonios Mina: Chaldean Catholics have a very profound and deep-rooted faith, they are deeply devoted to God: today in this situation of suffering they see no other salvation than the Cross of Christ. I have always been impressed by the great faith of Iraqi Catholics. They live like Christians, they witness their faith with their lives within the limits set by the Government. Within their own community there is freedom of worship, if one does not cross the fence.

Fides Agency: Relations between religious and civil authorities in the Middle East are always a very delicate matter: What is the situation in Iraq?
Mons. Antonios Mina: Relations with the Government are good: the vice premier Tareq Aziz is a Chaldean Catholic and his wife is great believer. The Chaldean Patriarch Raphael Bidawid is highly regarded and esteemed by civil authorities and in governmental activity he represents the whole Christian community in Iraq.

Fides Agency: In countries with a Muslim majority context the condition of Christians swings between mild guarantees of freedom and the risk of experiencing violence and persecution. What is the relationship between Chaldean Catholics and Muslims? Is there any friction or are there any episodes of intolerance towards the Catholics?
Mons. Antonios Mina: Islamic and Christian relations are good even though, every now and again, some accidents occur, especially since a fundamentalist current has slowly expanded in the Arab world. But today in Iraq, in a situation of hunger and poverty there is no time to “philosophise” or to search for reasons of conflict. The common denominator of poverty leads to solidarity. Even though there is a risk of the spread of fanaticism, due to ignorance and poverty. If we want to help the Christians in Iraq or in countries with a Muslim majority, we must help the whole population to know its own religion in order to live a dignified life.

Fides Agency: The Holy Father has always drawn attention and care towards the Chaldean Church, sending out appeals and inviting all believers to pray. Today, Catholics throughout the world have their eyes on the Chaldean Church and on the Catholic community in Iraq. How do you support the Chaldean Church?
Mons. Antonios Mina: We fully accomplish the will of the Holy Father who has always shown his great concern for the Chaldean Church. We try to meet both spiritual and material needs of the Chaldean community, with a financial help on one hand, and by taking care of the training of the priests, providing grants, resources for catechism on the other hand. The Congregation for Oriental Churches takes care of all that deals with pastoral life, with the exception of those matters that are within the explicit competence of other departments (the Doctrine of Faith, legal questions, the Cases of Saints, etc.). Then we continuously attend meetings with the Bishops and the Patriarchs whom we all know very well. The Chaldean Diaspora today is growing, giving rise to many communities outside of Iraq as a consequence of emigration from the country.

Fides Agency: Because of the climate of imminent war, the international community is currently living a phase of great concern, at all levels. How is the Chaldean community reacting to this situation?
Mons. Antonios Mina: The possibility of a war is believed to be an absolute injustice. Iraqi people the families, the children suffer from the effects of the embargo. There is a lack of milk, other food and vital commodities, medicines in particular. On one side the situation is not happy, there is a great deal of suffering; on the other hand the population is subject to a sort of indoctrination that saddles the outside world with the responsibility of all injustice.

Interview with Mons. Philip Najim. Procurator of the Chaldean Catholic Church to the Holy See.

Fides Agency: The Chaldean Church has a glorious history and tradition that has lasted centuries. Can you trace a picture of its origins and of its special characteristics?
Mons. Philip Najim: The Chaldean Catholic Patriarchal Church originates from the evangelisation of St. Thomas the Apostle and the spreading of Christianity in the Mesopotamia region. According to tradition, while the Saint was travelling to India, he went through Iraq where he left two disciples, Mar Addai and Mar Mari. The characteristic of the Chaldean Eucharist is certainly the Anaphora (that is the Eucharistic Prayer) composed by the apostle. This Church is called “Eastern Church” or “Persian Church” because the Chaldean people lived in Persia. The Chaldean people are an ancient nation that has its roots in Babylon, as indicated by the title of the Patriarch. Since its origin, relations with Rome have always been excellent: the Holy See has always encouraged us to keep our liturgical heritage alive, inside and outside of the Patriarchal territory.

Fides Agency: Coming to recent times, what difficulties and anxieties is the Chaldean Church facing?How is it carrying out its pastoral duties for the Iraqi population?
Mons. Philip Najim: The Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq shares the life of the Iraqi people. During the last years numerous faithful driven by the need of survival, moved from towns in the north Mossul to Madya on the Turkish border to Baghdad. Life in the Northern villages is based on sheep-farming and subsistence farming whereas in the capital, the major source of support is commerce. This migration has caused the diocese of the Patriarch to expand and today it counts around 350,000, out of the 500,000 Chaldean Catholics in Iraq. The faithful are very fond of the Patriarch who is an important point of reference in their lives. The Chaldean community has great faith and awareness: every year in Baghdad about 5,000 children make their First Communion.

Fides Agency: In countries with a Muslim majority context, very often there are laws that restrict religious minorities. Relations between Catholics and the rest of the people differ from those with the Government. How does the Chaldean Church fit in the Iraqi Government context?
Mons. Philip Najim: Iraq has always been a secular country as allowed by the Constitution which respects religious minorities. Islam is the religion of State because 90% of the population is Muslim. The Constitution allows freedom of worship and we Christians have always been considered on the same level of the Muslims. The Government’s attitude to religious minorities is positive: we have 40 parishes in Baghdad, which is a Patriarchal See, that freely carry out their pastoral activities, so we cannot talk of discrimination. Life in the Chaldean community does not suffer from discrimination: we live in harmony with our Muslim brothers, we all are Iraqi people and we all must contribute to the prosperity of our country despite the presence of some fundamentalists who want to foment hatred and division between different faith communities.

Fides Agency: In spite of all the difficulties and obstacles, the Chaldean Catholic Church works tirelessly in the certainty of fulfilling its Mission. What are the main activities of the Chaldean Church?
Mons. Philip Najim: During recent years, the Chaldean Catholic Church has devoted itself mainly to education and catechesis. It must be underlined that, as Friday is the weekly holiday in this country (according to the Muslim calendar), parishes organize catechism meetings for children, young people and adults on that day. A few years ago we opened a Centre where laymen can study theology and philosophy, to become catechists and co-workers with parish priests. Obviously, Sunday is a working day, therefore we celebrate Mass very early in the morning (people attend Mass and then go to work) and in the evening, at the end of the working day. The parish plays a very important role for Chaldean Catholics: it is the only reality in which they can live and practice their faith. This is why pastoral work is very important: it is flourishing today, despite financial difficulties. In fact parishes have been built according to the financial possibilities of the Church but today, with a fast growing community, needs have increased: the rooms are small, there are no sports grounds, the buildings are not sufficient both for spiritual activities and recreation. The Chaldean community is also very active in works of charity helping the numerous poor families Christian and Muslim, distributing food, clothes and all sorts of help.

Fides Agency: The Chaldean Catholic Church is also known for its a specific rite and Aramaic, a very ancient language, used in Chaldean liturgy. Can you tell us something about it?
Mons. Philip Najim: The Syrian language (or Aramaic) is currently used in liturgy because of it was the liturgical, theological and classical language of Christianity in the Semitic tradition. However, although the official language of the Chaldean Church is Aramaic, we use Arabic because it is the language used by the faithful. And then the Aramaic language is not exhaustive in synonyms and terminology. This is why we have recently published a catechism in Arabic. Celebration of Mass is bilingual in the Liturgy of the Word and the main prayers, so that everybody can understand. Catechism is done in Arabic, except in the mountain villages in the North where we try to use the language spoken in that area, Aramaic.

Fides Agency: A phenomenon that has sadly involved the Chaldean Church over the last twenty years is emigration from Iraq, with a subsequent development of numerous communities in the Diaspora. Where do these communities live and under what conditions?
Mons. Philip Najim: In the diaspora we always try to keep alive the mother tongue of our Chaldean rite, Aramaic, by teaching it also to those born in America, Europe and Oceania. But we also use local languages with the Chaldean liturgy: celebrating Mass in English, as in the Catholic Chaldean communities in the United States, Europe and Australia, is a way to involve the new generations, it is a mediation between tradition and modernity. The experiment is working out very well: the basic structure is in local language although it can happen that a psalm or a prayer is read in Aramaic. The Chaldean Bishops outside Iraq are members of the respective local Bishops’ Conference but they are under the authority of the Chaldean Church. In many Latin dioceses, we have Chaldean parishes with a Chaldean priest, instituted precisely to maintain the Chaldean tradition and liturgical heritage.

Fides Agency: We know that there is also a small Italian Chaldean community in Rome. Can you give us some information on its origins and activities?
Mons. Philip Najim: Currently, the small Chaldean Church community in Rome has its meeting and liturgy at the Oratorio dell'Epifania, in S. Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri Basilica. This Pastoral centre was opened in 1994 as a wish of the Holy Father; similar centres have been built for all the Eastern Churches in Rome. In 2000 a Procurator’s office was established to represent the Chaldean Church to the Holy See. The centre offers pastoral and spiritual assistance to the faithful. Prayer meetings for students, seminarists and religious sisters and the Chaldean community are held periodically on the occasion of liturgical solemnities. The Rome community comprises a number of different families, people who live, work or study in this city. They are mainly short stay emigrants, therefore the nature of the small community changes constantly. We offer welcome and support: currently I am in charge of the Rome Chaldean community and I am the Patriarch’s delegate in Europe.

Fides Agency: You are Chaldean Procurator to the Holy See. Which are your functions and your duties?
Mons. Philip Najim: Canon 61 of the Eastern Canon Law, specifies that Eastern Patriarchs must have a Procurator to the Holy See, a point of connection and communion between the Church of Rome and the Eastern Church. The Procurator is under the authority of the Patriarchate, he works in close contact with the Congregation of Oriental Churches, taking care of all the various needs of the Chaldean communities throughout the world. The procurator is also in charge of the legal coordination for the establishment of Chaldean parishes in the Diaspora communities, keeping in touch with the bishops in the various nations.

Fides Agency: The present time seems to be a particularly difficult moment for the Chaldean Church. Which are the anxieties and the fears of the Chaldean faithful and what are the consequences of this climate of uncertainty?
Mons. Philip Najim: There is a great fear in the heart of the Iraqi citizen today who lives with anxiety the imminence of war. People do not know what the future will hold, they cannot plan or produce, so there is increasing emigration, a new phenomenon, started in the last 15 years. The Chaldean community is facing this period with prayer. Every Christian community prays for peace, also with Muslim communities, and they hope to dispel the ghost of war. The Patriarch lives this situation with great concern; he recently visited our foreign communities to unite the community of Iraq with those of the Diaspora. He is the Father of our Church, he represents the Christian faith in the Middle East. A war would be deleterious also for the presence of Christians in the Middle East. The 1991 war caused financial and moral damages. Iraq was a rich country from all points of view: economic, historical, cultural, with a personal identity in the international community. The embargo imposed more than 12 years ago weighs especially on the population that pays the price with its own existence. The embargo has choked the Iraqi. Now there is the risk or more harm for this exhausted population: but war does not solve problems, it tramples on dignity and human rights. Can it be possible that an Iraqi child may die for lack of a medicine costing half a Euro? The people suffer greatly. As the Chaldean Catholic Church ask for the help and protection of the international community.

(PA) (Fides Service, November 2002)