Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Louis Sako, the Iraq-based Chaldean Catholic patriarch of Baghdad, ending his 13-year tenure leading Iraq’s largest Christian denomination. In a separate statement released by the Chaldean Patriarchate, Cardinal Sako said that after turning 75 in 2024, he had discussed his resignation with Pope Francis. However, the late pontiff “encouraged me to remain.” The cardinal said that he decided “in full freedom” to submit his resignation to Pope Leo XIV, “so that I may quietly dedicate myself to prayer, writing, and simple service.”
