Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona of the Archdiocese of Mosul, Iraq, was elected April 12 as the patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, succeeding Cardinal Louis Sako, who led the Chaldean Catholic Church for the past 13 years.
According to Vatican News, Patriarch-elect Nona has served as the archbishop of Mosul since 2009, shepherding the local Catholic community through hardships such as the rise of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 and the subsequent displacement of thousands.
Patriarch-elect Nona took the name of Polis (Paul) III, the Holy See Press Office stated April 13. The release noted that he is fluent in Arabic, Italian, Chaldean, and English and has written on spirituality, marriage, and family. In 2015, he was appointed bishop of the eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Sydney of the Chaldeans, Oceania, while retaining the title of archbishop, according to the release.
The election of Archbishop Nona, which followed Pope Leo XIV’s acceptance in March of Cardinal Sako’s resignation, took place in Rome during the Synod of Bishops of the Patriarchal Church of Baghdad of the Chaldeans. The Pontiff met with the participants April 10 and encouraged them to listen to the Holy Spirit during the election. He told them that the patriarch-elect “should be, above all, a father in faith and a sign of communion with all and among all.” According to Vatican News, the Chaldean Church said in a statement that the synod of bishops expresses its "confidence that this ministry will help strengthen the faithful in their faith, reinforce their unity, and renew the Church’s mission in bearing witness to the Gospel.”
According to EBSCO, there are an estimated 641,000 Chaldean Catholics worldwide.