Patriarch Delly: Iraqis Are Sons of Hope

Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly of Babylon of the Chaldeans, a newly elevated Cardinal,is a man of great candor, courage and faith. He insisted on the need for love and for the building of peace between all Iraqis.

ROME (Zenit) - The newly elevated cardinal from Iraq urged his people to be "sons of hope" and optimists, since God is a father who loves his people.

Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly of Babylon of the Chaldeans said this the evening before the Saturday consistory in which he was given the red hat. He spoke with a group of journalists near the Vatican, saying that the honor of being named cardinal was a dignity given through him to all Iraqis.

The archbishop of Baghdad affirmed that the Iraqi government was satisfied with his elevation. "This dignity should be useful not only for Iraq, but also for all our beloved friends in the world, for all humanity," he said.

Asked about the suffering in Iraq, the Chaldean patriarch said, "What happens in Iraq to Christians happens to our Muslim bothers, and what happens to our Muslim brothers happens to us Christians. We have lived together for 14 centuries, we have a relationship together [...] it is true there are occasions in which Christians suffer more, for many reasons, but a car bomb equally kills Muslims and Christians."

He insisted on the need for love and for the building of peace. "I also invite the international community to help us in order to be able to achieve this peace," he said. "I invite the Iraqi people with the words of Our Lord: We should love one another, and not only the Iraqi people, but also the whole population; so I call on good will to be able to establish peace in all the world, and especially with these words, I dedicate all of my being in service to the Church and to my homeland."

Commenting on his new mission as cardinal, the patriarch said, "I came in order to serve, not to be served. [...] at the service of the universal Church, not only of the Chaldean Church, of which I am patriarch, chief and father, but of all of the Church."

"All that I have given my people I will continue giving always," he said. "I love my homeland, I serve her: All Iraqis are equal for me, without distinguishing Shiites, Sunnis, Christians or Kurds."

The Iraqi prelate affirmed that the delegation accompanying him in Rome was formed by representatives of the many ethnic groups of Iraq.

A beginning

Noting the relative calm in some areas of the country, he said that in Baghdad, "some families have returned to Dora and its auxiliary [bishop] went a few weeks ago to celebrate Mass in a church which had been closed."

"It is a beginning that we hope will continue doing good for our people and for everyone, because not only have the churches been attacked," he pointed out, but "all places of worship," as in the case of 134 mosques.

The patriarch added, "The churches are being rebuilt and people are beginning to return to their homes. We are sons of hope. We should be optimists; the Lord will protect us, he is our father and he loves us."

The 80-year-old prelate discussed his plans as a cardinal: "I will return to Iraq and will continue serving my country," and "especially, also in my travels, I will convince those who have left the country to return, in order to be able to work and to build Iraq together."

Benedict XVI, in his homily during Saturday's consistory, mentioned the elevation to cardinal of the patriarch, saying it was a sign of the solidarity of the whole Church with the suffering Iraqi people.