My guest this week on Vatican Insider is Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk, Iraq, who just a week ago was elected the new Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans – the new leader of the Chaldean faithful.

The interview is from my 2010 visit to Iraq when I visited Abp. Sako in Kirkuk. I attended Mass in Kirkuk’s Sacred Heart cathedral, presided over by the archbishop, and we then went to his residence for our interview and an Iraqi Lenten lunch. The situation for Christians in Iraq and many Middle Eastern countries is very fluid and even dangerous:– as it was during my visit, although I spent my time in the relatively safer northern region of Kurdistan, in Kirkuk and in the diocese of Mosul.

Archbishop Sako spoke of the situation of Christians in Iraq, of his diocese of Kirkuk and the overall political picture. Little has changed since then and I thought it would be worthwhile to listen to his words and ponder what faces him now as the new patriarch.

HHS PROPOSAL DOES NOT ADDRESS BISHOPS’ CONCERNS

Last Friday, February 1 the HHS proposed yet another compromise on the so-called HHS Mandate in an effort to address the concerns of religious organizations that object to its policy requiring health insurance plans to cover contraceptives for women at no charge. Thursday, February 7 Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the USCCB issued statements after the USCCB had a chance to review last week’s lengthy new proposal.

The USCCB response starts: “The February 1 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) shows some movement by the Administration but falls short of addressing U.S. bishops’ concerns.”

The statement notes that Cardinal Dolan “listed three key areas of concern: the narrow understanding of a religious ministry; compelling church ministries to fund and facilitate services such as contraceptives, including abortion-inducing drugs, and sterilization that violate Catholic teaching; and disregard of the conscience rights of for-profit business owners. These are the same concerns articulated by the USCCB Administrative Committee in its March 2012 statement, United for Religious Freedom. Cardinal Dolan said the new proposal seemed to address one part of the church’s concern over the definition of a church ministry but stressed that “the Administration’s proposal maintains its inaccurate distinction among religious ministries. “It appears to offer second-class status to our first-class institutions in Catholic health care, Catholic education and Catholic charities. HHS offers what it calls an ‘accommodation’ rather than accepting the fact that these ministries are integral to our church and worthy of the same exemption as our Catholic churches.”

Here is a link to the February 7 USCCB statement, explaining how and why the new HHS proposals do not meet the concerns of the Bishops and religious organizations: http://www.usccb.org/news/2013/13-037.cfm

ORDER OF MALTA MARKS 900 YEARS

An estimated 4,000 Knights and Dames of Malta have converged on Rome for the weeklong celebrations marking the 900th anniversary of the papal bull that gave official recognition of the hospitaller Order. The bull, Pie Postulatio Voluntatis was signed by Pope Pasquale II on February 15, 1113.

Tomorrow morning, Knights and Dames and volunteers of the Supreme Military Order of Malta from around the world will attend mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, presided over by those present, including Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing, leaders in the Order and numerous civil, religious and diplomatic authorities.

Pope Benedict will arrive in the basilica at the end of Mass to greet officials and members of the Order of Malta.

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