by Louis Raphael I Sako
From May 12 to 24 last, Mar Sako made a pastoral visit to Tehran and Urmia, in Iran, meeting Christian and Muslim political and religious figures. His Beatitude stressed the historic presence of Christians in Iran, a presence that precedes Islam. He invited the faithful to "stay close to your country" and reminds them "strength is in quality and not in number."
Baghdad (AsiaNews) - " you are Iranians and not a foreign community descended from another planet "; this is why "we invite you to stay close to your country," to those lands inhabited by Christians "before the arrival of Islam." This is one of the passages of the letter sent by his Beatitude Mar Raphael I Louis Sako, to the Chaldean communities in Iran, at the conclusion of the recent pastoral visit (photo taken from the website of the Chaldean Patriarchate a time of the visit). In the two-week visit the Chaldean Patriarch met with the faithful of the diocese of Tehran and Urmia, meeting local faithful, priests and nuns and bishops but also political authorities and Muslim religious figures.
In the pastoral letter, sent to AsiaNews, he speaks of the visit as a source of "great satisfaction", because "we have learned a lot from this trip." The patriarch stresses the faith, firmness and hope of the Chaldean communities in Iran, able also to preserve values and traditions, such as the language itself. Mar Sako also notes the "peace and stability" that Iranian Christians can enjoy "in your beloved country" and the "positive dialogue" with "the government and religious authorities."
Read the entire article at: http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Patriarch-of-Baghdad:-Iran%E2%80%99s-Chaldeans,-light,-salt-and-leaven-in-the-Church-of-Persia-34367.html