In a significant ecclesiastical event that carries profound spiritual and national dimensions, the special synod of the Chaldean Catholic Church convened yesterday, Sunday, April 12, in Rome, announced the election of His Beatitude Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona as the new Patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and worldwide. This announcement coincides with the celebration of the glorious Easter according to the Eastern calendar.
The election of the new patriarch, Nona, comes as a successor to the resigned Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako, who submitted his resignation to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on March 9, 2026. The resignation was officially accepted by the Pope, with the decision announced on the tenth of that month.
The election of the new patriarch, who previously served as the Archbishop of the Chaldean Archdiocese of Mar Thomas the Apostle in Australia and New Zealand, marks a new chapter in the journey of the Chaldean Church. His extensive pastoral and theological experience, along with a rich background in serving the Church in Iraq and the diaspora, is expected to guide the Church in its future endeavors.
It is noteworthy that Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona was born in the town of Alqosh in the Nineveh Plain, Iraq, on September 1, 1967, under the name Emil Shimon Nona. He grew up in a distinguished ecclesiastical environment that nurtured his priestly vocation from a young age. He completed his secondary education in the scientific branch in Alqosh, graduating in 1985, and subsequently joined the Chaldean Patriarchal Seminary. He was ordained a priest on January 11, 1991, serving as a deputy priest in Alqosh until 1997, and then as the town’s priest until 2000. He traveled to Rome, Italy, to pursue theological studies, earning a Ph.D. in theological anthropology from the Pontifical Lateran University in 2005, with a thesis entitled “Anthropology of the Marital Relationship in the Writings of Ephrem the Syrian.” He was later appointed Archbishop of Mosul, serving from 2010 to 2014 under extremely challenging circumstances during the ISIS invasion of the city in 2014. He, along with his people, fled to Erbil, sharing in the anguish of displacement and exile. Eventually, he was appointed as the Archbishop of the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Mar Thomas the Apostle in Australia and New Zealand.
The election of His Beatitude Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona represents a new beacon of hope for the Chaldean Church in Iraq and around the world, during a time when challenges abound and the need for wise spiritual leadership rooted in faith is ever more pressing. All eyes are now turned toward this new phase, hoping it will be rich with spiritual fruits, strengthen the Church’s presence, and solidify the message of peace and love in the East and the world.
