Chaldean Church chooses Archbishop Amel Nona as patriarch, succeeding Cardinal Sako
The Chaldean Synod has elected Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona as the new Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church. The new leader, who has taken the name Mar Paul III Nona, succeeds Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako following his resignation amid a legal and financial scandal. The election occurred during synod meetings in Rome, addressing a critical period for the Church regarding internal unity and regional political challenges. Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona has committed to leading the Church with fidelity and responsibility, focusing on both the homeland and the diaspora.
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Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona (known as Mar Paul III Nona) has been elected Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, succeeding Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, after a resignation accepted by Pope Leo XIV and a subsequent synodal election in Rome.1 2 3 The articles describe the choice as taking place amid regional political pressures and internal concerns about unity, governance, and the Church’s mission in both Iraq and the diaspora.1 3
The Chaldean Synod elected Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona as Patriarch during its meetings in Rome from April 9, 2026.1 3 After the ballots, he chose the patriarchal name Mar Paul III Nona.1 2 3
The Chaldean bishops’ statement said the election followed “established canonical procedures,” and that the new patriarch accepted the election in accordance with canonical norms.1 3 The synod also said the election was intended to strengthen unity and renew the Church’s mission in both the homeland and the diaspora.1 3
Vatican News reported that the patriarch-elect will request ecclesiastical communion from Pope Leo XIV after the election.2
Multiple sources link the election to Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako’s resignation, which he submitted to Pope Leo XIV on March 9.1 3 EWTN/ACI MENA reporting also notes that Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation on March 10.1 3
The EWTN/ACI MENA and Catholic World Report accounts state that Sako’s resignation occurred amid a legal and financial scandal involving a former Chaldean bishop in San Diego.1 3 Those articles say the controversy centered on Bishop Emanuel Shaleta, who was arrested on charges including embezzling Church funds.1 3
EWTN/ACI MENA further reports that timing sparked controversy in the Chaldean community, and that some questioned whether the financial scandal played a role in Sako’s decision.1
The articles say Nona was born in Alqosh in northern Iraq, and he was ordained a priest in 1991 after studies at the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad.1 3 One account adds that he pursued further studies in Rome and earned a doctorate in theological anthropology from the Pontifical Lateran University.1 3
Nona was appointed Archbishop of Mosul in 2009.1 He led the local community during a period of escalating violence against Christians, including the 2014 takeover of Mosul by ISIS and the resulting displacement of faithful.1 3
In 2015, the Holy See appointed him head of the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle in Australia and New Zealand.1 3 ZENIT says Nona is currently based in Sydney.4
ZENIT describes Mar Paul III Nona as 58 and characterizes the election as a generational transition in leadership.4
The synod’s messaging repeatedly emphasizes prayerful discernment, unity within the Chaldean Church, and fidelity in the patriarchal ministry.1 3 Vatican News similarly highlights the aim of strengthening unity and renewing the Church’s mission.2
All sources place Nona’s election within a broader pastoral framework spanning Iraq and the diaspora.1 2 3 ZENIT additionally frames the Church’s future as shaped by exile, diaspora, and resilience, contrasting the Middle Eastern roots of the community with its global dispersion.4
EWTN/ACI MENA and Catholic World Report identify ongoing political challenges in Iraq and the Middle East as part of the “critical time” for the Church.1 3 ZENIT adds context about demographic change and the impact of war and instability on Christianity in Iraq.4
How does synodal succession shape unity in the Chaldean Catholic Church?
Synodal succession in the Chaldean Catholic Church shapes unity by keeping the Church’s governance and discernment continuous across time and ordered toward harmony (communion): the Patriarch’s leadership is exercised in close union with the Synod of Bishops, synodal decisions are received and manifested in the Eucharist, and this internal unity is sustained in visible communion with the Bishop of Rome. This same synodal “style” also enables credible steps toward unity with other Churches of the East without erasing legitimate diversity.
In the Chaldean Catholic context, “synodal succession” can be understood as the Church’s lasting practice of being guided through synods—a continuing pattern of “journeying together” in which the same ecclesial goal (communion) is pursued generation after generation. Pope John Paul II describes the Chaldean Synod of Bishops as “a particular way of journeying together, so that the paths of the different communities can converge.”
That “convergence” is not uniformity imposed from above; rather, it is unity that is actively sought through listening, prayer, and disciplined discernment—an approach that Pope John Paul II explicitly links to harmony in the Church, even amid different opinions and conflicts.
The most direct way synodal succession shapes unity in the Chaldean Catholic Church is structural: the Patriarch acts in close union with the Synod. Pope John Paul II states that “episcopal collegiality is exercised in a particularly significant way in the canonical structure of your Churches. The Patriarchs in fact act in close union with their Synods.”
He adds the aim: “The aim of any authentic synodal action is harmony, so that the Trinity may be glorified in the Church.”
So, synodal succession functions like an ecclesial “rhythm”:
Pope John Paul II also highlights the unity dimension of synodal practice itself: “develop ever more the unanimous consonance which resounded among you in this Synod. Indeed, the unity of intentions will allow for a full growth of the ecclesial life.”
Synodal unity in the Chaldean Church is not only administrative; it is sacramental. An important theological point from the International Theological Commission explains how synodal life is integrated with the bishop’s Eucharistic role: in the Church’s early tradition, bishops preside over synods and celebrate Eucharist, and “the Eucharist was a sign of the reception of the synodal decisions, and of the communion of believers with their bishops, established in apostolic succession.”
This matters for “synodal succession” in two ways:
A common challenge in thinking about synodality is whether it threatens unity with the universal Church or the primacy of the Bishop of Rome. In Catholic teaching, synodality and primacy are not placed in competition; instead, they are mutually ordered.
The Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity states there is a “mutual interdependency between primacy and synodality,” and it notes that primacy must be understood within a synodal/collegial context—“authority only within a synodal/collegial context,” as “member as well as head of the college of bishops,” and “servant of universal communion.”
This directly helps interpret the Chaldean situation: Pope John Paul II teaches that communion with the Pope—“Successor of Peter, principle and visible foundation of unity in faith and charity”—allows “individual Churches to live and work within the mystery of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.”
So synodal succession shapes unity because it:
Although your question is specifically about unity in the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Church’s synodal logic also shows how unity can grow without erasing legitimate diversity—which is a practical and theological lesson for internal unity too.
Pope John Paul II insists that “diversity of customs and observances is in no way an obstacle to unity,” and that it includes the ability of Churches “to govern themselves according to their own disciplines.”
In the Catholic–Assyrian rapprochement, this synodal approach is visible in concrete agreements: a “Joint Synodal Decree for Promoting Unity” is mentioned as reconfirming pastoral cooperation and formally implementing an Assyrian-Chaldean “Joint Commission for Unity,” where each side recognizes apostolic succession, sacraments, and Christian witness. Further ecumenical guidelines describe how synods supported a program approved and confirmed through a “Joint Synodal Decree,” as a stage toward re-establishing full ecclesial unity.
In his address as Pope, Leo XIV likewise describes theological dialogue as involving “fraternal encounter and theological dialogue” that are mutually constitutive, and he explicitly links synodality to ecumenical progress (“the ecumenical journey is synodal”).
This matters for the Chaldean Church because it reinforces an internal principle: unity is not obtained by domination or absorption, but by shared truth-seeking, charity, and a communion that respects legitimate governance and traditions.
Synodal succession shapes unity in the Chaldean Catholic Church by making unity a lived, continuous ecclesial practice rather than a one-time agreement. It does so through: (1) collegial harmony between Patriarch and Synod, (2) the Eucharist as the sign and reception of synodal decisions rooted in apostolic succession, and (3) a Christ-centered communion that remains in visible unity with Rome while respecting legitimate diversity—an approach that also proves fruitful in ecumenical relations.