The Presidency of the Republic announced it will summon the US Ambassador to Baghdad to, Alina Romanowski, following the statements of US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller against the Iraqi government regarding the Republican Decree to withdraw Republican Decree No. (147) of 2013 of Cardinal Louis Raphael Sacco, Patriarch Chaldean Catholic Church, as head of the Christian Church in Iraq.

A spokesman for the Presidency of the Republic said in a statement: "The Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Iraq is disappointed by the accusations against the Iraqi government and the presidency regarding the decision taken to cancel a presidential decree that is not in line with the country's constitution, so the Presidency of the Republic will summon the Ambassador of the United States of America in Baghdad on this issue."

He added, "Iraq has worked diligently, side by side with the United States, since the adoption of the Iraqi constitution in 2005, to build an effective legal system that guarantees the rights of all citizens of the country, a system that is ultimately followed and adhered to, and the presidency of the republic may not take measures that contradict with the Iraqi constitution, where the primary role of the president of the republic is to protect the constitution and the legal frameworks it entails.

He pointed out: "The Office of the President of the Republic confirmed that withdrawing the presidential decree would not prejudice the religious or legal status of Cardinal Louis Sacco, and that Sacco enjoys the respect and appreciation of the Presidency of the Republic as the patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and the world."

He continued: "The judicial and constitutional authorities have made it unequivocally clear since 2018 that the President of the Republic has no authority in any matter or case to issue presidential decrees to any heads of religious sects. This also applies to the Christian, Yazidi, Islamic and any other religious groups in Iraq."

He indicated that: “From a constitutional point of view, the President of the Republic in Iraq may not appoint or dismiss the head of a sect chosen by his followers, and the president cannot favor or give priority to any group over another, at least to impose the leader of one sect on others, as it is considered a dangerous precedent if the president's office is involved in these matters."

The spokesman pointed out: "The president has always respected Iraqi Christians and defended their rights throughout his career, and he categorically rejects any threats or offensive statements against the church or against any other sect in Iraq."

He stated, "It should be clear to everyone that Republican Decree No. (147) of 2013 of Cardinal Patriarch Louis Raphael Sacco, although it is constitutionally invalid, did not grant any additional power to His Eminence Cardinal Sacco. For this reason, we affirm that withdrawing the Republican Decree does not prejudice the cardinal's religious or legal status, regardless of the action taken. We affirm once again that the withdrawal of the decree came to correct a constitutional situation, as Decree No. (147) of 2013 was issued without a constitutional or legal basis.

"The Christian community, whether it is Chaldean, Assyrian, Syriac, Greek Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox or Armenian, has always been and will always be an integral part of Iraq," he said.

He pointed out that accusing the Presidency of the Republic or the Iraqi government of attacking religious freedom and harming the Christian community is not only categorically false, but also harms the foundations of this state and the tremendous steps it has made in building a tolerant and equal society.

He added, "The Christians of Iraq are a respectable component and they are appreciated by Iraqi society, and the constitution guarantees their rights."

He also indicated that the abolition of Republican Decree No. (31) to withdraw Republican Decree No. (147) of 2013 of Cardinal Patriarch Louis Raphael Sacco, as suggested by Miller and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, would be useless and a flagrant violation of the constitution that Iraqis and Americans fought for and sacrificed themselves to preserve it, as will undermine every effort to strengthen Iraq's internal structures, legal frameworks and constitution, Iraqis can vigorously defend their constitution vigorously as other countries do.

The statement concluded by saying that President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid is committed to protecting and supporting the Iraqi constitution, and to treating all Iraqis equally, regardless of their ethnic affiliations, beliefs, or religion.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency