Archbishop of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Sydney (Chaldean)
Amel Shamon Nona was born in Alqosh on November 1, 1967. After completing his secondary education, he entered the Chaldean Patriarchal Seminary in 1985 and was ordained a priest in Baghdad on January 11, 1991. From 1993 to 1997, he served as a vicar in Alqosh, subsequently becoming parish priest until 2000, when he enrolled in the Faculty of Theology at the Lateran University in Rome. He obtained his degree in 2005 and returned home to serve as parish priest in Alqosh; he was appointed Protosyncellus of his Archeparchy and also taught Anthropology at Babel College. Elected Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul on November 13, 2009, he received episcopal ordination on January 8, 2010. He speaks Arabic, Italian, and Chaldean, and has a knowledge of English.