Shafaq News-Kirkuk
The head of theChaldean Catholic Church in Iraq and the world, Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona,said Sunday he has no clear picture of Christian representation in the currentIraqi government, adding that the coming period would bring greater clarity onthe matter.
"Until nowI do not have a complete idea about this subject, and in the coming period wewill get to know it more clearly," Nona told Shafaq News during a visit toliberated areas in northern Iraq, without elaborating further.
Iraq'sgovernment formation remains incomplete following parliamentary elections inNovember 2025. In May 2026, the parliament approved 14 ministers of Alial-Zaidi’s cabinet, while nine portfolios remain vacant.
Onreconstruction, Nona said liberated areas, particularly Mosul and the NinevehPlains, where Christian communities bore some of the heaviest losses duringISIS's 2014 takeover, have shown notable progress. The focus, he added, extendsbeyond physical infrastructure to rebuilding communities "on soundfoundations based on respect for human dignity, cooperation, andcoexistence."
Fewer than300,000 Christians remain in Iraq today, down from more than 1.5 million in2003, following decades of conflict and displacement. Nona expressed hope thatstability would allow families to return, describing the next phase as one that"should witness a reverse migration and the return of families to theiroriginal areas inside Iraq."
: Christians of Iraq: Where did they go?