Emmanuel III Delly
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Emmanuel III Delly |
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Mar Emmanuel III Delly is the current Patriarch of Babylon for the Chaldeans and head of the Chaldean Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic sui juris particular church of the Catholic Church. He was born on October 6, 1927 in Tel Keppe and was ordained a priest on December 21, 1952. He was ordained a bishop ten years later in December of 1962 at the age of 35. He has been the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church since December 3, 2003. He replaced Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid.
His patriarchy in Iraq came at a fairly difficult time period. Before he became Patriarch he had been accidentally injured by shattered glass in an attack. Hence he has been strongly concerned about the security situation there. Although optimistic about the Iraqi elections he has expressed criticisms about upsurges in violences against Christians. He has taken efforts to improve the population's morale, maintain friendly relations with Islamic leaders, improve safety, and work for the release of kidnapping victims. The most controversial aspect of his Patriarchy might be allegation of ties to Saddam Hussein's foreign minister, Tariq Aziz.
