Mar Louis Raphael I Sako

religious leader

Mar Louis Raphael I Sako is the current Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon and serves as a prominent religious leader for Chaldean Christians worldwide. Born on July 4, 1948, in the city of Mosul, Iraq, he was ordained as a priest in 1971 and later became a bishop in 2002. Sako has been vocal about the challenges facing Christians in Iraq, particularly in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion and the rise of extremist groups in the region. He advocates for the rights of religious minorities, promotes peaceful coexistence among different faiths, and seeks to strengthen the Christian community both in Iraq and in the diaspora. His leadership has been marked by efforts to address the humanitarian needs of those displaced by conflict and to foster dialogue between different religious groups.