Paul III Nona

Contents

Paul III Nona (born Amel Shamoon Nona; 1 November 1967) is an Iraqi Catholic hierarch who has served as Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Baghdad since 2026. He previously served as Archbishop-Bishop of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Sydney from 2015 to 2026, and as Archbishop of Mosul from 2010 to 2015, including his exile amid the ISIS takeover in his region.

Early life

Nona, an Assyro-Chaldean, was born in Alqosh in 1967. After completing his secondary education in 1986, he entered the Chaldean Patriarchal Seminary and was ordained priest on 11 January 1991 in Baghdad. From 1993 to 1997 he was parochial vicar at Alqosh, then pastor until 2000. In 2000, he enrolled at the Pontifical Lateran University. In 2005 he obtained a doctorate in theological anthropology and returned home. From 2005 he served as a professor of anthropology at the Babel College. Later, he was named vicar general of the Chaldean Catholic eparchy of Alqosh. He speaks Arabic, Syriac, English and Italian.[1]

Archbishop of Mosul

On 5 May 2009, the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church elected Nona as Archeparch of Mosul. Pope Benedict XVI gave his consent to Nona's election on 13 November 2009. He was consecrated a bishop on 8 January 2010 by Emmanuel III Delly, patriarch of Babylon, as principal consecrator.[2] At the age of 42, Nona was the youngest Chaldean Catholic archbishop in the world.[3]

Speaking on the violence in Iraq in 2014, Nona said that all the Christians who were still living there had fled. Nona, corroborated this while speaking with the worldwide Catholic relief service Aid to the Church in Need: "All the faithful have left the city. Who knows whether they will ever be able to return. In 2003 there were still 35,000 faithful living in Mosul. Three thousand were still there in early 2014. Now probably not one is left here, and that is tragic." Nona went into exile because of the violence.[4]

Shortly after his exile began, Nona gave an interview in which he warned the West against accepting Muslims into their communities:[5]

Please, try to understand us. Your liberal and democratic principles are worth nothing here. You must consider again our reality in the Middle East, because you are welcoming in your countries an ever growing number of Muslims. Also you are in danger. You must take strong and courageous decisions, even at the cost of contradicting your principles. You think all men are equal, but that is not true: Islam does not say that all men are equal. Your values are not their values. If you do not understand this soon enough, you will become the victims of the enemy you have welcomed in your home.

Archbishop of Australia and New Zealand

Nona was appointed Eparch of St Thomas the Apostle of Sydney of the Chaldeans on 15 January 2015.[6] His installation took place on 7 March 2015.[7] He succeeded Jibrail Kassab following his retirement.[8]

He remained archbishop until his election as Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans on 12 April 2026.

Patriarch of Baghdad

On 12 April 2026, the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church elected Nona Patriarch of Baghdad. He took the name "Paul III" upon his election.[9][10][11][12] In a letter dated 24 April 2026, Pope Leo XIV assented to his election and granted Nona the ecclesiastica communio (ecclesiastical communion).[13][14]

On 9 May 2026, when asked why he chose his regnal name, he replied, "I chose the name polis in reference to two persons. The first is Saint Paul, because he is a profound figure — a great theologian and a teacher who conveys the faith with depth, while at the same time carrying an apostolic zeal to proclaim this theology and to teach the faith to others. The second person is Patriarch Polis II Cheikho, who was an example of humility and pastoral care. For these two reasons, I chose the name Paul."[15]

He was installed as Patriarch on 29 May 2026 in St. Joseph Chaldean Cathedral in Baghdad.[16][17] On 30 May 2026, Pope Leo appointed Nona a member of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches.[18]

References

  1. 1."Rinunce e Nomine – Assenso all'Elezione dell'Arcivescovo di Mossul dei Caldei(Iraq)" (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 13 November 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  2. 2."Archbishop Emil Shimoun Nona". Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  3. 3.Esteves, Junno Arocho (14 April 2026). "New Chaldean patriarch elected for Iraq amid pope's calls he 'should be' a 'father in faith'". The Catholic Weekly. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  4. 4."Iraq: "All the Christians have fled Mosul"". Catholic World Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  5. 5."Iraqi bishop warns that West will suffer from Islamism". EWTN News. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  6. 6."Rinunce e nomine". Sala Stampa della Santa Sede. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  7. 7.Bugden, Peter (13 March 2015). "Chaldean Catholics have moment of joy". The Catholic Leader. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  8. 8.Bugden, Peter (21 January 2015). "New leader". The Catholic Leader. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  9. 9.Rodrigues, Marilyn (14 April 2026). "Sydney-based Chaldean archbishop elected global patriarch". The Catholic Weekly. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  10. 10."Archbishop Nona elected new Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church - Vatican News". Vatican News. 12 April 2026. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  11. 11.Hudson, Patrick (13 April 2026). "Chaldean Synod elects new Patriarch of Baghdad to succeed Cardinal Sako". The Tablet. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  12. 12."From the Eastern Churches". Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  13. 13."Concession of the Ecclesiastica Communio to the new Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans". Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  14. 14."Pope grants ecclesiastical communion to Chaldean Patriarch - Vatican News". Vatican News. 28 April 2026. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  15. 15.Our lady Chaldean Church (‫كنيسة حافظة الزروع‬‎) (18 May 2026). Nuhara e01 :: With His Beatitude Mar Polis III Nona. Retrieved 13 June 2026 – via YouTube.
  16. 16."News Briefing: Church in the World". The Tablet. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  17. 17.Figge, Jack. "New Chaldean patriarch urges faith, Chaldean identity". The Pillar. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  18. 18."Resignations and Appointments". Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 13 June 2026.