Iraqi Catholic leader says he expects religious freedom to continue

Published: 2004-04-29

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A Chaldean Catholic leader in Iraq said he expects religious freedom to continue and improve in Iraq in the future. Father Yousif Ibrahim, patriarchal administrator for the Chaldean Diocese of As Sulaymaniyah, told Catholic News Service his diocese had good relations with the local government, even during the regime of deposed President Saddam Hussein. He said he believed those relations will continue, even if a new Iraqi constitution enshrines Islamic law. Answering e-mailed questions through a translator, Father Ibrahim noted that the government provided funds for construction of a new Catholic church, just as it does to construct mosques. He said the church received one-half of its operating expenses from the local government, while the other half was generated from within the church.

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