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Speaking of "clout," the future Cardinal of the Chaldeans "asks Iraqi President to guarantee teaching of Christian religion in schools":

Full story:

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10994

Sorry - historically the cardinalate does not date back to the early days of the Church of Rome.

The Eastern Patriarchs do not want a voice in the election of the Pope, because that would support the claim that the Pope has a right to a voice in the elections of the Eastern Patriarchs.

Fr. Serge

Amado,

I've argued with you the imappropriateness of Eastern hierarchs, particularly patriarchs, being appointed as cardinals till I'm blue in the face - so, I won't bother doing so again.

But, you need to at least be factually accurate, if you're going to pursue this line of thought. Father Serge has already pointed out thar the cardinalate has no such antiquity as you've accorded it. And, the naming of cardinals from among the Eastern hierarchy has not been limited to Patriarchs and Major-Archbishops (and, since you promote the practice, I'm lost as to why you think the primatial hierarchics of Churches sui iuris below the Metropolitan level should not be "tapped"?).

As to Eastern Church hierarchs below the rank of Major-Archbishop who have held the dignity of cardinal, a few:

Mar Joseph Cardinal Parecattil, of blessed memory, Archeparch of Ernakulam of the Syro-Malabarese (then a metropolitan see)

Mar Antony Cardinal Padiyara, of blessed memory, Archeparch of Ernakulam of the Syro-Malabarese (still a metropolitan see at time of his appointment to the cardinalate)

Vladyka Alexandru Todea, of blessed memory, Archeparch of Fagares & Alba Iulia of the Romanians (then a metropolitan see)

Servant of God Vladyka Juliu Hossu, Eparch of Cluj-Gherla of the Romanians (not even a metropolitan see)

Many years,

Neil

Very well stated Fr. that was exactly what I was thinking when I raised my question above...thank you...

Fr. Serge,

If the Eastern Patriarchs do not want to be Cardinals, how do you explain the Iraqi Patriarch's acceptance of this role?

There is no "Iraqi Patriarch". Patriarch Emmanuel III is Patriarch of the Chaldeans. He is also in a desperate situation, trying to keep his Church alive, and if accepting the cardinalate might help, he would not hesitate.

Fr. Serge

Who is causing all this vicious persecution? The article does not say. The impression I got from the last sentence (in original post) was that the author wanted us to believe that the persecutors are the U.S. troops who are considered occupiers. Is this the case? I posted a new thread of a story where Muslims are putting crosses back up on the churches and asking the Christians to come home! This is after the terrorists were finally chased out of Baghdad. The Muslims attended the first Chaldean Catholic liturgy with the auxiliary bishop who kept thanking the Americans. It was noted that after the terrorists came to town they began taxing the Christians, persecutin them, and then finally killing them along with other Muslims.

So, does the Chaldean Catholic Church hate the U.S. troops or are they thankful for them? In reading these two stories, I am left confused. Despite all the pleas for freedom of religion, the local Muslims are putting crosses back up on the churches, attending services, and thanking everyone who made it possible.

Ed

I think it depends on where you are and who you are talking to, honestly. The Lord knows that the same troops that pass out bookbags one day might accidentally destroy a Church or kill a Christian the next. I met Christians that loved us in Iraq, but I met others that wanted us out as soon as possible.

Sorry if that doesn't answer your question, but there it is.

I think it depends on who the writer is and his bias. Certainly, the article left it seem like all the persecution was from the U.S. troops and that Catholic bishops are reprimanding them. Nothing was said about those Muslim Al Queda militants who were involved. The author of this article was not writing from Iraq. The author who wrote about the Chaldean Catholic bishop thanking the U.S. troops was writing and taking pictures from Iraq.

Do you think Christians are dying at the hands of U.S. troops, and if so, do you know if anyone has proof? From my reading, it seems that the local Muslims know who the real perputrators are - bad Muslims they don't even consider being of the same faith.

But Baghdad is experiencing better days. I hope the Chaldean Cardinal or Patriarch (???) can also appreciate what his own bishops are witnessing.

Ed

One can say what they want, but the third in command of the Hussein government was a Chaldean (Tariq Hassiz). I doubt any such prominence will be given to any Chaldeans, Assyrians or Syriac Christians in a Sunni/Shiite coalition government (if such a thing is even now possible). And not all of the news is pointing towards "better days", at least from what my Chaldean friends have related.

Speaking of Eastern Cardinals, I stumbled across this photo of Patriarch Joseph Cardinal Slypyj in red galero and koukolion:
http://photos1.blogger.com/photoInclude/blogger/6322/78/1600/SlypyjGalero1.jpg

I believe the one and only time he wore that for a staged photo after his cardinalate- he generally wore his white kamilavka in public.

The wallpaper indicates that the photograph was staken at the Oriental Congregation - not Patriarch Joseph's favorite place.

Fr. Serge

Many years to the patriarch! (Without the hat of course ;))
Stephanos I

How bizarre, how bizarre!

Ung