Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi stressed the importance of the work of clerics and social leaders in preserving the feature of diversity in Iraqi society, which is considered a wealth and an element of enrichment, and one of the features of the Mesopotamian civilizational extension.

Al-Kadhimi indicated, during his meeting today, Saturday, with a delegation of the bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church, headed by His Beatitude Patriarch Mar Louis Raphael I Sako, which includes a number of bishops from different governorates of Iraq, neighboring countries, Europe and America, that the Christian presence in Iraq is one of the most important pillars of this deep diversity, which today contributes to the protection of the democratic system, and provides solutions to political differences.

He added, “the values of true Iraqi citizenship are the sincere protection of all sects and nationalities, under the umbrella of Iraqi identity,” recalling the historic visit of His Holiness the Pope to Iraq, and how it stimulated important positive repercussions to support Iraqi diversity, especially the Iraqi Christian spectrum.

The Prime Minister called on immigrants, Christians or from the rest of the Iraqi sects, to return to Iraq, the country of all, stressing the provision of full support to facilitate this return and stability.

For his part, Patriarch Sako affirmed his abundant support for the government’s approach in dealing wisely and calmly with crises and challenges, and providing sound and rational solutions to them, and expressed his thanks for the government’s efforts made during the past year, moving forward in implementing reforms, and overcoming the challenges that our Iraqi people faced.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency