Msgr Alhaba Habib Jajou
Chaldean Archbishop of Basra, Iraq

How is your visit to Kerala going?

I am amazed! This is the first time in my life I hear much about St Thomas and his journey to India. We have come and enjoyed your lovely spirit of hospitality. I am praising God for this community of faith, which is rich in culture and everything else.

The Iraqi church is in the thick of persecution. Has the persecution abated?

The Iraqi church – the Chaldean, the Syrian and Armenian, all put together – is now a minority in Iraq. We were 60% with more than 50 Monasteries in south of Iraq. Yazidians too live in Iraq. Yazidian are a sect that believes in the stars. In 1980s, when Iraq and Iran got into an eight-year long war, more than ten thousand Christian adults were killed in the fighting. Their families fled from Iraq. In 1990s Saddam Hussein did no harm. After the American invasion, they opened door to all the terrorists who wanted to attack Christians and to destroy the Church. The ISIS destroyed Mosul. We hope that the sun will rise on the Iraqi people after this long period of darkness. Now the Christians are not allowed to migrate. I don’t know why? We try to open windows of hope for them; we support them with all we have; we help the poor families with medicine, students with knowledge of the English language and computer. There are millions of Iraqis who can’t read and write. Millions of them have been made widows and orphans.

How many Catholics are there in your diocese of Basra?

We were tens of thousands in 2000, but after the Islamic takeover, Christians started fleeing from the south to north. Kurdistan is a more secular place. About 80% of the families left our diocese, and now we have only a thousand families. We also have two priests. These days, good Muslims come to us and apologize. They say: “we are sorry, we killed you, we persecuted you, and it was our fault.” Thousands in South Iraq want to convert to Christianity, but they are not allowed to. I spoke with the Islamic religious leaders, but they strictly warned me against baptizing any Muslim. The people come to church to pray and take copies of the gospel. They also come for catechism sometimes. A huge number of Muslims bring flowers and say: “We love you. Please don’t leave Iraq. You are the original people, the native people of Iraq.”

Do you now use Aramaic in the liturgy?

Our language is Aramaic. We pray and sing in Aramaic. The Catholics speak in Aramaic, which is known as Surat. We study Arabic at school. In the house we speak our own language, in public we speak the common language. For liturgy we use Aramaic. For Aramaic liturgy, our source is the old liturgical book. For every sacrament we have separate books. We also have translations in Arabic, English and European languages.

You participated in our liturgy of the hours. Did you realize that the Syro-Malabar Church uses the Chaldean liturgy?

Yes, some hymns are very similar to our hymns and also have a few Aramaic words. You sing the liturgy, but, in Chaldean, the liturgy is more dialogical. We don’t sing it. We observe two periods of silence, after the gospel and after the Holy Communion.

Did you recognize the Mass as Chaldean?

No, it’s all in Malayalam. The basic structure of the Holy Mass is the same in all the dioceses in the world. There is just a little difference between eastern and western Churches with regard to the ascending of the Holy Spirit. In the western Church, it is before the consecration and in Eastern Churches it is after the consecration. You say Our Father at the beginning; we have stopped doing that.

Why did you stop saying the Our Father at the beginning?

The Orthodox had migrated from Syria to Iraq. When they reached Iraq, the Persian emperor welcomed them as refugees. The Persian emperor encouraged the Patriarch to open churches and monasteries in 6th century. Some arguments ensued between Syro-Orthodox monk and the Patriarch. The Patriarch told the Orthodox that they were are not imitating Jesus; their faith was not that good, because they don’t say the Our Father at the start of liturgy. He then put the Our Father at the beginning. Later, another Patriarch added the Our Father at the end. Subsequently, our Synod removed the first one. The Our Father is now said before the communion, after the reconciliation.

What was the real intention behind the change?

It was removed because it was an added element. An Our Father at the start does not make much sense. Some still argue for its reinstatement, because other sacraments like baptism and marriage start with it and because they find it more meaningful. The hymn before the offertory was a similar addition made for special Masses said during Lent. In those days, the full Mass was not there during Lent.

What about the Creed?

In Chaldean liturgy, the Creed was not recited every day. The monks like Capuchins and Dominicans forced the Chaldean Church to say the Creed every day in order to protect their faith. They are repeating something without thinking what it really means.

Do you have any compulsory instruction regarding the Creed?

Nothing of that sort is there now. Originally it was said only on Sunday to emphasise the spirit of love and praise.

What about the offertory?

A man or a woman brings bread, wine and water during the offertory. Some priests accept other things also. Different dioceses have different traditions regarding it, but we try to have something special for the Chaldean Church because of the importance we give to our national identity.

What is your opinion regarding the renewal of liturgy?

We are waiting for acceptance from the congregation of the Oriental Church for a new text for the Holy Mass. If not accepted, it will be returned to us with comments. Then the liturgical committee will re-read and re-discuss it. They gave us five years to prepare it. That period ended on 31st of January 2018.

Why did you shorten the time for the Holy Mass?

It is not easy for people today to stay for two or three hours in the church. People are busy. Long services tire people. So the Chaldean Synod decided four years ago to make changes. We got consent for it from the Oriental Congregation.

What was the principle applied for the changes?

The principle applied was to return to the original texts. Many text’s prayers were added through the centuries. A liturgical committee was entrusted with the task of improving the liturgy. They worked hard for years, and, as a result, some prayers were removed to prepare a better text.

Do you face the people during Holy Mass?

The majority are now facing the people, despite Vatican encouraging to change it. In this violent situation in Iraq, it is not easy to convince the people about the change. So the patriarch has made it optional.

What about the liturgy practised in America and in Europe?

In America and in Europe, some face the people, others don’t.

Why don’t you adopt from the west something that is good?

Of course we do. We have adoration, the tabernacle, the Way of the Cross, the Rosary etc., I think they are from the west. We took everything that helps the faithful to contact the divine, to talk with Jesus and Mother Mary. We have devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to St Joseph in March, and we have prayers for saints, like saint Rita and St Antony. The church is like a garden full of fruits, full of trees, each of them beautiful.

How long will the Mass take on ordinary days?

If there is no hymn, half an hour.

On a Sunday?

On Sundays, one hour with Homily and three readings. On week days, we have just two readings. Don’t forget that some priests fall in love with their voice and so sing too much, or some priests like preaching and so preach too much. People do complain about it. Personally, I do not want a priest to take more than an hour for the Sunday Mass. Pope Francis and Patriarch Sako have also said that more than one hour for the Mass is too much. We face the people, but in front of you there is the cross and the gospel. Priest represent Christ and people are following Him towards the cross.

When your Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid visited Kerala, he said you say the Mass facing the people.

Yeah! He didn’t mind if the priests made alterations to the alter. He preferred to face the people and removed the old fashioned alter.

The people are simple. They are not theologically informed. They come to Mass to be happy with Jesus, to say thank you, Jesus. They don’t bother about all these theological elements.

Is the theology behind turning to east inspired by sun worship?

That is a complex matter. In Iraq there was worship of fire. In the Roman Empire there was worship of the Sun. The festival of the Sun got converted to Christmas. Religion should be made to suit culture. Therefore, in the Chaldean Church, you can find the elements of Mesopotamian and Babylonian culture. Look at the gospel, it is full of symbols from Mesopotamia.

How is your present Patriarch celebrating Mass?

Facing the people. He likes to face the people.

If there is a blend of culture and religion, what is your opinion about inculturation of the Chaldean liturgy within the Indian situation?

The Indian situation has its own peculiar problems. The Syro-Malabar Church lies scattered over a vast country and across different languages and cultures. Therefore, it is difficult to have an Indian liturgy.

What about adoration?

We have adoration of the Blessed sacrament every last Thursday of the month and the holy hour on feasts and other special occasions.

Do you say the Rosary at home?

Every day we pray the Rosary. It is very popular in Iraq.

What about the sacraments of annunciation, baptism, confirmation and Holy Communion? Are they administered together?

When we baptize a child, we administer baptism and confirmation together, which I think is wrong. In the past, the Church gave confirmation only when a child became a teenager. But due to the destruction and burning of Iraqi church records, we don’t know who took confirmation or not? So they decided, I don’t know when, the priests on behalf of the bishop give confirmation immediately after the baptism. But the first communion is given only when child becomes ten years of age.

You don’t give communion along with baptism?

No. An infant knows nothing about the bread that it receives.

Why don’t you administer confirmation along with baptism?

One should become a teenager to understand what confirmation is all about. The name itself suggests what it should be. How can you confirm someone when s/he is forty days old?

Is modernization possible?

It is not easy. Modernization should be connected with three sources; the Bible, fathers of the church and teachings of Mother Church. Otherwise it could bring damage like what happened with Martin Luther.

What about your former Patriarch Raphael Bidawid (1989 – 2003)?

He was an excellent Patriarch, but unfortunatley for him the worst of time, because he came during the war with Iran. He was a very progressive man with regard to the liturgy. He brought newness and fresh air to the Chaldean Church. He established a Chaldean court and a Babylon College for theology and philosophy.