ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The head of Iraq’s Babylon Movement, Rayan al-Kildani, on Tuesday criticized speculation about the next papal successor, stressing that the process is guided by spiritual reflection and not campaigning. His remarks come amid rising interest in Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Iraq’s Chaldean Patriarch, who is among 136 cardinals eligible to elect - and be elected as - the next pope.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Kildani censured “some people's remarks about electing the Pope” as revealing “a blatant ignorance of church procedures.” He added that “cardinals alone choose the Pope” who “is elected and not nominated.”
“There is no nomination or election campaigning, but rather prayer, contemplation, and selection by the Holy Spirit,” he insisted.
Kildani also argued that Sako is not the sole representative of the Middle East among the cardinal-electors, pointing to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch Bechara Boutros al-Ra’i in Lebanon.
Of note, the Babylon Movement is the political wing of the Babylon Brigade, a Christian armed group that operates under the umbrella of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), that are closely -aligned with Iran. It currently has four out of the five seats reserved for Christians in Iraq’s 329-member parliament.
Kildani’s remarks notably followed Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s public endorsement of Sako on Tuesday, as the “sole nominee” from the Middle East for the papacy.
“His Beatitude is widely respected both locally and internationally, and he plays a vital role in advancing peace and fostering interfaith tolerance,” Sudani added in a statement on X.
Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died at age 88 on Easter Monday following a stroke. The Pope's death follows a period of ill-health that saw him spend five weeks in hospital with double pneumonia. The debate over who his successor would be began shortly after his hospitalization.
For its part, the Chaldean Patriarchate stated Tuesday that while public comments and expressions of support reflect “admiration, they carry no bearing on the formal selection process.”
Though the Patriarchate did confirm that Sako is among 136 cardinals, under the age of 80, who are eligible to participate in a future papal conclave and to be considered for the papacy.
The process entails “private gatherings focused on prayer and reflection,” with each participant voting independently and in confidence, the Chaldean Patriarchate elaborated.
Notably, Sudani in June reinstated Cardinal Sako as Chaldean Patriarch in Iraq, after President Abdul Latif Rashid in July 2023 revoked a 2013 presidential decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church.
The Presidential Decree 147/2013 had affirmed Sako’s status as head of the Chaldean Church and the legal caretaker of its endowment before the Iraqi state.
Rashid then stated that the repeal of the decree “is not an attack on the Chaldean Church nor Iraq’s much valued Christian communities,” and that its “reversal is motivated by the fact that “the decree simply has no constitutional backing.”
The revocation prompted backlash from Iraq’s Christian community, especially as it followed a meeting between President Rashid and the head of the Babylon Movement, Kildani.
Sako then issued a statement accusing Kildani of orchestrating an “unfairly played ‘game’” to sideline him, and accused the head of the Babylon Movement of orchestrating a campaign against him to seize control of Christian properties and endowments.
The Cardinal further relocated to the Kurdistan Region, before returning to Baghdad at Sudani’s request and following his reinstatement as Patriarch in June.
Sako was born in Zakho in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province, in July of 1948.
According to the Vatican’s Press Office, Sako was ordained a priest in 1974 and pursued advanced studies in Eastern patrology in Rome and history at the Sorbonne. He became Archbishop of Kirkuk in 2003 and Chaldean Patriarch in 2013. He was also a President Delegate at the 2018 Synod on Young People. A scholar and author, he is fluent in Arabic, Syriac, German, French, English, and Italian.
