New Chaldean Patriarch Urges Faith, Chaldean Identity
The Pillar portal reports on the installation Mass of Patriarch Paul III Nona of the Chaldean Catholic Church, held on May 29 at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baghdad. The new patriarch, elected in April after the controversial resignation of Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, delivered a homily centered on the theme of “faith over fear,” outlining six “principal features” for the future of his Church: unity, spiritual life, clergy formation, involved laity, maintaining Chaldean culture, and fraternity with other Churches. While the homily superficially employs Christian language, a deeper analysis reveals a profound capitulation to modernist principles, a reduction of the Church’s mission to cultural preservation, and a complete silence on the supernatural realities of faith, conversion, and the necessity of the one true Church for salvation.
The Illusion of “Faith” Without the Supernatural
Patriarch Paul III Nona’s homily begins with a scriptural exhortation: “Do not be afraid; only believe.” He defines this faith as “seeing what cannot be seen and trusting what goes beyond human logic,” and “remaining firm when all guarantees are shaken.” While these phrases might initially sound orthodox, they are immediately stripped of their supernatural content. Faith, in the Catholic sense, is a supernatural virtue, a gift of God, by which we believe all that God has revealed, not because of the intrinsic truth of the things seen by the natural light of reason, but because of the authority of God Himself revealing, who can neither be deceived nor deceive (Council of Vatican I, Dei Filius, Chapter 3). It is not merely an “inner transformation” from “fear” to “trust” in a vague, existential sense.
The patriarch’s definition of faith as “accepting that God is at work, even in the silence of death” is a classic modernist trope, reducing faith to a subjective, emotional experience rather than an objective assent to divine revelation. This is the very error condemned by St. Pius X in Pascendi Dominici gregis, where he describes the modernist view of faith as “a blind sentiment of religion springing from the recesses of the subconsciousness” (Pius X, Pascendi Dominici gregis, 7). The patriarch’s emphasis on “trust despite the presence of fear” and “faith despite our knowledge of the challenges” further underscores this naturalistic, psychological approach, devoid of any mention of grace, merit, or the theological virtues. It is a faith fit for a secular self-help seminar, not for the successor of the Apostles.
The Church as Cultural Preservation Society
The most glaring omission in Patriarch Nona’s homily is the supernatural mission of the Church. The Church, as defined by the pre-conciliar Magisterium, is a perfect society, established by Christ for the salvation of souls, endowed with all the means necessary to lead men to eternal happiness (Pius XI, Quas Primas). Its primary mission is the propagation of the faith, the administration of the sacraments, and the sanctification of souls. While the patriarch mentions “evangelization,” it is immediately qualified as “renewed evangelization” and framed within the context of “maintaining Chaldean culture” and “preserving one’s tradition.”
He states: “Our Church in the lands of the diaspora must be regarded as a grace, not as a misfortune. It is a true mission and not merely a draining of the nation from within. The presence of our Chaldean faithful in the countries of the diaspora is a new apostolic hope entrusted to lands.” This statement, while seemingly positive, subtly shifts the focus from the supernatural mission of the Church to a cultural mission. The “mission” becomes the preservation of a people, a language, a heritage, rather than the conversion of souls to the one true Faith. This is a direct consequence of the modernist error that reduces the Church to a purely human institution, concerned with temporal and cultural affairs, rather than the divine institution for the salvation of souls.
His emphasis on “maintaining Chaldean culture” and “preserving one’s tradition” as a solution to a “global culture that seeks to erase identities, merge cultures, and dilute traditions” is a clear indication of this culturalist reduction. While the Church has always valued legitimate cultural expressions, they are always subordinate to the supernatural end of the Church. The patriarch’s framing suggests that the primary threat to the Chaldean Church is cultural assimilation, rather than the far greater dangers of heresy, apostasy, and the loss of faith. This is a classic modernist inversion, where the accidental is made essential, and the essential is neglected.
“Fraternity” and the Denial of the One True Church
Patriarch Nona’s call for “fraternity with other Churches in the Catholic communion” and his comparison of the common Catholic faith to a “garden filled with flowers of many colors and fragrances” is a direct echo of the modernist and ecumenical errors condemned by the pre-conciliar Magisterium. The Church has always taught that there is only one true Church of Christ, the Holy Roman Catholic Church, outside of which there is no salvation (Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam). While acknowledging the existence of other rites within the Catholic Church, the patriarch’s language of “fraternity” and “diverse and beautiful traditions” blurs the essential distinction between the true Church and false religions, and even between different Catholic rites, by implying a mere aesthetic or cultural difference rather than a divinely instituted hierarchy of truths and means of grace.
This “fraternity” is not the unity of faith, but a unity of sentiment, a common “service of the Gospel” stripped of its dogmatic content. It is the very “false ecumenism” condemned by Pope Pius XI in Mortalium Animos, which “implies that all religions are more or less good and praiseworthy, inasmuch as they all express and signify that sense which is inborn in all of us, and by which we are led to God and to the obedient acknowledgment of His rule” (Pius XI, Mortalium Animos, 2). The patriarch’s vision is not one of conversion to the one true Faith, but of coexistence and mutual enrichment among “different traditions,” a vision utterly incompatible with the Catholic doctrine of the extra Ecclesiam nulla salus (outside the Church there is no salvation).
The Silence on Conversion and the Necessity of the True Faith
Perhaps the most damning omission in Patriarch Nona’s homily is the complete silence on the necessity of conversion to the Catholic Faith for salvation. While he speaks of “evangelization,” it is never specified what this entails. Does it mean calling non-Catholics to embrace the one true Faith? Does it mean calling schismatics and heretics back to the unity of the Church? Or does it merely mean a “renewed” presentation of a cultural heritage? The language is deliberately vague, allowing for a modernist interpretation that reduces evangelization to a mere sharing of cultural values or a general proclamation of God’s love, devoid of the imperative to submit to the authority of the Church and embrace her dogmas.
The patriarch’s focus on “maintaining Chaldean culture” and “preserving one’s tradition” as a bulwark against a “global culture that seeks to erase identities” further underscores this point. The primary concern is not the salvation of souls, but the survival of a cultural group. This is a naturalistic, ethnic understanding of the Church, where membership is defined by birth and heritage rather than by baptism and the profession of the true Faith. It is a return to the very errors of the Old Law, where the chosen people were defined by their lineage, rather than the New Law, where the Church is composed of all nations, tribes, and tongues, united by one Faith, one Baptism, one Lord.
The “Resignation” of Sako and the Usurpation of Authority
The circumstances surrounding the resignation of Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the predecessor of Paul III Nona, are highly suspicious and indicative of the deep rot within the conciliar structures. Sako’s resignation, ostensibly due to “controversy over his handling of the resignation of San Diego-based Chaldean Bishop Emanuel Shaleta, who stepped down while facing criminal charges of embezzlement from his diocese,” is presented as a voluntary act, “so that I could devote myself quietly to prayer, writing, and simple service.” However, the fact that Sako felt compelled to “rebut reports that Pope Leo had insisted upon it” suggests otherwise.
In the true Church, a patriarch or cardinal does not resign under pressure from a modernist antipope, nor does he need to justify his actions to the world. The very need to “dispel any misinterpretation” and emphasize that “no one asked me to do so” reveals the utter lack of supernatural authority and the subservience of these “hierarchs” to the whims of the conciliar sect. The fact that Sako was “controversial” for merely attempting to transfer a bishop accused of embezzlement, rather than defending the patrimony of the Church, further highlights the moral bankruptcy of these modernist “leaders.” Their concern is not for justice or the good of souls, but for their own reputation and the approval of the world.
The “Election” of Nona: A Symptom of Systemic Apostasy
The “election” of Paul III Nona by a “synod of Chaldean bishops” in Rome is not a legitimate act of the Church, but a procedural formality within the conciliar sect. The true Church, as defined by the pre-conciliar Magisterium, is a monarchical society, where the Supreme Pontiff holds full, supreme, immediate, and universal jurisdiction over the whole Church (Council of Vatican I, Pastor Aeternus, Chapter 3). The “synod of bishops,” as understood in the conciliar context, is a modernist invention designed to democratize the Church and dilute the authority of the papacy.
The fact that Nona was “widely considered a front-runner” and that his election was a “significant break from Sako’s leadership tenure” suggests a political process, akin to secular elections, rather than a discernment guided by the Holy Ghost. The choice of a new patriarch, especially one who has spent years in the “diaspora” (a euphemism for exile from the true faith), indicates a preference for a “safe” candidate, one who will not rock the boat of the conciliar revolution. His previous role as “Archbishop of Mosul, from which he was forced in 2014 into exile as ISIS took control of the area and Christians fled or were killed, leaving no flock in his archdiocese” is presented as a qualification, but it merely highlights the failure of the conciliar structures to protect the faithful and the true Faith. His subsequent appointment to lead the “Chaldean Catholic diaspora in Australia and New Zealand” further underscores his role as a manager of a displaced population, rather than a shepherd of souls.
The “Diaspora” as a “Grace” and the Failure of the Conciliar Church
Patriarch Nona’s assertion that “Our Church in the lands of the diaspora must be regarded as a grace, not as a misfortune” is a profound theological error. While God can bring good out of evil, the “diasaster” of the Chaldean people, their displacement from their ancestral homelands, is a direct consequence of the failure of the conciliar Church to uphold the social reign of Christ the King and to defend the rights of God and the Church. The “diaspora” is not a “grace” in itself, but a chastisement for the sins of the world, including the sins of apostasy and indifference within the Church.
The patriarch’s attempt to reframe this tragedy as a “new apostolic hope” is a classic modernist tactic of finding “positive” aspects in every situation, even in the face of grave evil. This is the very “cult of man” and “optimism” condemned by the pre-conciliar Magisterium. The true response to such a catastrophe would be a call to repentance, a return to the true Faith, and a recognition that only in the true Church can the faithful find refuge and strength. Instead, the patriarch offers a naturalistic, humanistic “hope” based on cultural preservation and adaptation to the modern world.
Conclusion: A Modernist Vision for a Dying Church
The homily of Patriarch Paul III Nona is a textbook example of modernist rhetoric, dressed in the vestments of an ancient Eastern rite. It is a vision of the Church that is naturalistic, culturalist, and ecumenical, utterly devoid of the supernatural realities of faith, grace, and the necessity of the one true Church for salvation. It is a vision that prioritizes the preservation of a cultural identity over the salvation of souls, and that seeks “fraternity” with error rather than the conversion of heretics and schismatics.
The “six principal features” outlined by the patriarch – unity, spiritual life, clergy formation, involved laity, maintaining Chaldean culture, and fraternity with other Churches – are not the marks of the true Church, but the program of a dying institution, desperately trying to survive in a world that has rejected Christ the King. This is not the voice of a true shepherd, but of a hireling, who flees when the wolf comes (John 10:12-13). The Chaldean Catholic Church, like all the Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with the conciliar sect, is not a bastion of true faith, but a victim of the same modernist plague that has infected the Latin Church. Only a return to the unchanging Tradition of the Catholic Church, outside of and against the conciliar sect, can offer true hope and salvation to the Chaldean people, and to all nations.
Source:
New Chaldean patriarch urges faith, Chaldean identity (pillarcatholic.com)
Date: 03.06.2026