Undersecretary for Political Planning Meets Patriarch Cardinal Louis Sako

Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political Planning Ambassador Dr. Hisham Al Alawi, met with His Beatitude Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq and the World, with the attendance of the committee charged with preparing the 2025 Cultural and Public Diplomacy Plan. The meeting discussed proposals and common topics within the committee’s work plan.

At the beginning of the meeting, and after welcoming remarks, the Undersecretary reviewed the committee’s work plan for this year, and the proposed programs and events in light of the historic visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Iraq in 2021. Dr. Al Alawi highlighted the committee’s proposal to organize a competition to select a sculptor to create a memorial commemorating Pope Francis’s meeting with His Eminence Sayyid Ali Al Sistani in Najaf, in addition to a proposal to donate a palm tree to be planted in one of the Vatican gardens. He also discussed organizing a joint prayer and holding a marathon in the ancient city of Ur.

on his part, His Beatitude the Patriarch welcomed the proposals of Undersecretary Al Alawi, and expressed his full readiness to cooperate in ensuring the success of the committee’s work plan, emphasizing the importance of utilizing soft power tools to strengthen Iraq’s relations with its regional and international surroundings. The two sides agreed to set April 26, 2025, as the tentative date for organizing the event in the city of Ur, His Beatitude also suggested using the occasion to inaugurate the Church of Ur.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides discussed regional developments and their impact on Iraq, stressing the need to find peaceful solutions to enhance regional stability and for all countries in the region to assume their responsibilities in this regard.