The Patriarch of the Chaldean Church, Louis Raphaël I Sako, was elected last 31 January by the Synod of Chaldean Bishops who met in Rome and celebrated the divine liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica today. Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, who attended the celebration on behalf of the Pope, said: “We ask for special mercy and blessings to be bestowed upon you so that the Good Shepherd may wipe away the tears of the Iraqi people and console, encourage, correct and always pacify brothers and sons and accompany them in their testimony.”