06/13/2026
Pastoral Letter to the Faithful of the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle
My dear brother priests,
deacons, monks, religious sisters, seminarians,
parish leaders, and beloved sons and daughters in Christ,
May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, be with you all.
During these recent months, our beloved eparchy has passed through a painful and difficult time. Many of you have experienced confusion, sadness, anger, disappointment, and fear for the future of our Church. I know that many hearts are wounded. I know that many families have asked painful questions. I know that many faithful, who love the Church deeply, have felt shaken.
As your shepherd, I do not want to ignore this suffering, minimize it, or cover it with words that do not heal. A wound that is not acknowledged cannot be healed. A crisis that is not faced with truth cannot become a moment of grace.
Our Lord Jesus tells us: “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32). For this reason, the Church must never be afraid of truth. Truth does not destroy the Church; lies, secrecy, fear, and division destroy the Church. The truth, even when painful, purifies us and leads us back to Christ.
At the same time, we must remember who we are. We are not simply an institution. We are not a social club. We are not a political group. We are the Church of Christ, born from His pierced side, sustained by His mercy, and called to walk in truth, justice, humility, and communion.
In the Gospel, Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11). Every shepherd in the Church must look to Him as the model. The Good Shepherd does not abandon the flock in time of danger. He stays close. He speaks truth. He protects the weak. He seeks the lost. He heals the wounded. He gives His life for the sheep.
For this reason, this moment requires more than emotion. It requires prayer, discernment, honesty, and conversion.
We must ask not only, “What happened?” We must also ask, with humility before God, “How did we arrive at this point?” This question is not asked in order to condemn anyone. It is not asked in order to accuse, humiliate, or divide. It is asked because the Church must learn from every wound. If we do not understand the deeper causes of a crisis, we risk repeating the same mistakes in the future................
First, we must recognize that trust alone is not enough without accountability. The Church is a family, but she is also a sacred responsibility. Church resources are not private possessions. They belong to the mission of Christ and come from the sacrifices of the faithful. Many of our people give from their hard work, their poverty, their gratitude, and their love for God.
The Lord teaches us: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). The way we administer the goods of the Church reveals the condition of our heart. Every offering given to the Church must therefore be treated with reverence, transparency, and careful stewardship.
In the Church, trust is beautiful. But trust without clear procedures, oversight, audits, councils, and accountability can become dangerous. Even good people can be placed in difficult situations when structures are weak. Therefore, this crisis reminds us that the administration of Church goods must be transparent, professional, and protected by proper systems...................
Second, we must examine our understanding of authority. A bishop is called to be a father, shepherd, teacher, and servant. But no bishop, priest, or leader should carry the life of the Church alone or govern as if the Church depended only on one person. Authority in the Church is not ownership. It is service.
Jesus says to His disciples: “Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). This is the Gospel meaning of authority. Leadership in the Church must never become control, privilege, or isolation. It must always remain service before God and for the salvation of souls.
When authority becomes too isolated, when decisions become too centralized, or when people are afraid to speak honestly, the whole body suffers. The Church is healthiest when her leaders listen, when councils truly function, when priests can speak with respect and freedom, and when competent lay faithful are invited to contribute their gifts. .................
Third, we must purify our understanding of obedience and loyalty. True loyalty to the Church does not mean silence in the face of serious concerns. True obedience is not fear. Christian obedience is always obedience to Christ, to truth, to conscience, and to the communion of the Church.
It is possible to be respectful and still ask necessary questions. It is possible to love the bishop and still desire transparency. It is possible to be faithful to the Church and still call for reform. We must reject the idea that every question is rebellion, or that every concern is an attack. In a healthy Church, sincere questions are not punished; they are received, discerned, and answered with humility..................
Fourth, we must acknowledge the danger of division and factions. In moments of crisis, people are tempted to divide into groups: for one person or against another person, defending one side or attacking another. This is not the way of Christ.
Jesus tells us: “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). Peace, however, is not the same as silence. Christian peace is built on truth, justice, forgiveness, and conversion. We must not confuse peace with pretending that nothing is wrong. True peace comes when hearts are reconciled and truth is welcomed.
Our Chaldean community is close-knit. We are connected by family, village, history, language, culture, suffering, and faith. These bonds are a blessing. But they can also become a difficulty when personal loyalties become stronger than truth, justice, and communion. We must always ask: What serves Christ? What protects the Church? What heals the faithful? What is true?.................
Fifth, we must recognize the need for a mature culture of correction. Many crises become public and painful because concerns were not addressed early, calmly, and honestly. In a healthy Church, correction is not humiliation. It is charity. Accountability is not revenge. It is protection. Transparency is not weakness. It is strength.
Our Lord gives us a path for correction and reconciliation when He teaches that if a brother sins, we should first go and speak with him privately, seeking his conversion and restoration (Matthew 18:15). This Gospel teaching reminds us that correction should begin with charity, discretion, and the desire to save, not to destroy. But it also reminds us that serious concerns must not simply be ignored.
Therefore, we must create a culture in which priests, deacons, parish leaders, employees, volunteers, and faithful can raise legitimate concerns without fear of retaliation. No one should be punished for asking sincere and respectful questions about the good of the Church..................
Sixth, we must remember that administrative failure is never only administrative. It is also spiritual. When prayer weakens, when humility weakens, when communion weakens, when leaders become defensive, when people stop listening to one another, then the structures of the Church become fragile. A crisis of governance often reveals a deeper crisis of communion.
Before His Passion, Jesus prayed to the Father that His disciples “may all be one” (John 17:21). This unity is not superficial. It is not built by avoiding difficult questions. It is built by remaining in Christ, speaking the truth in charity, forgiving one another, and seeking together the will of God.
This is why our response must be spiritual and practical at the same time. Prayer without reform would be incomplete. Reform without prayer would become merely institutional. We need both. We need repentance and better structures. We need healing and accountability. We need mercy and justice. We need renewed hearts and renewed procedures...................
My beloved faithful,
I want to say clearly: we must respect due process and avoid judging any person before the facts are properly established. As Christians, we do not condemn by rumor. We do not destroy reputations by emotion. We do not take pleasure in the suffering of anyone. Every person must be treated with dignity, justice, and charity.
At the same time, respecting due process does not mean ignoring the pain of the faithful. It does not mean pretending that nothing has happened. It does not mean refusing to learn. The faithful have the right to desire clarity, accountability, and responsible leadership. They are not wrong to want a Church that reflects the holiness of the Gospel not only in liturgy and preaching, but also in administration, finances, governance, and public witness.
I ask our priests in a special way: be fathers to your people. Do not inflame division. Do not remain distant from the suffering of the faithful. Listen to your parishioners. Pray with them. Speak with prudence. Be instruments of unity. The people need shepherds who are calm, truthful, humble, and close to them.
I ask our deacons, parish councils, finance councils, catechists, youth leaders, employees, volunteers, and all servants of the Church: help us rebuild trust. This will not happen through slogans. It will happen through transparency, consistency, humility, competence, and service.
I ask our families and faithful: do not abandon the Church because of the weakness or failure of human beings. The Church belongs to Christ. Your parish is still the place where your children are baptized, where sins are forgiven, where the Holy Qurbana is offered, where the Gospel is proclaimed, and where our Chaldean faith, language, tradition, and identity are handed on.
After His Resurrection, the Lord came to His frightened disciples and said: “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). He did not abandon them in their fear. He entered their closed room and gave them peace. I believe the Lord also enters our fear today and says to our eparchy: Peace be with you.
Do not allow scandal to separate you from the Eucharist. Do not allow disappointment to take away your faith. Do not allow the sins or failures of human beings to obscure the holiness of Christ, who remains faithful to His Church....................
At the same time, I say this with humility: trust cannot simply be demanded. It must be earned again. As leaders in the Church, we must understand this. The faithful need to see that their Church is not afraid of truth. They need to see that accountability is real. They need to see that their sacrifices are respected. They need to see that leadership means service.
Therefore, in the coming period, I am committed to working with our clergy, councils, and competent advisors to strengthen the life of our eparchy. This includes renewed attention to financial transparency, proper governance, meaningful councils, pastoral listening, unity among the clergy, protection of legitimate concerns, and the healing of relationships wounded by this crisis.
These steps must be taken patiently, but also seriously. We cannot heal everything in one day. But we can begin today with humility, courage, and faith...................
My dear brothers and sisters,
this is not the time to give up. This is the time to return to Christ. This is the time to purify our intentions. This is the time to remember that the Church is strongest when she is humble before God.
I invite every parish in the eparchy to dedicate a time of prayer for healing, unity, justice, and renewal. Let us pray for all those who are wounded. Let us pray for our priests and leaders. Let us pray for those who are confused or angry. Let us pray for those involved in this painful situation. Let us pray for truth. Let us pray for mercy. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will guide our eparchy through this difficult moment into a new season of faithfulness.
May the Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gather what has been scattered, heal what has been wounded, purify what must be purified, and renew our beloved eparchy in truth and love.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede for us.
May Saint Peter the Apostle, patron of our eparchy, strengthen us in faith, repentance, and courage.
With my prayers and paternal blessing,
Bishop Saad Sirop Hanna
Apostolic Administrator of the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle