Syriac Chaldean Church ordains new bishop for Nohadra Eparchy

NOHADRA (DOHUK), Iraq – Yesterday morning, the Chaldean Catholic Church ordained Azzad Sabri Shaba as the new bishop for Nohadra – the Syriac name for the city of Dohuk in the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. The ordination ceremony took place at the Mar Ith-Alahah Church in Nohadra in the presence of clergy, officials, and guests under the spiritual direction of Syriac Chaldean Patriarch Mor Rafael Louis Sako.

The newly ordained bishop succeeds Rabban al-Kass who is retiring due to ill health.

Bishop Azzad Sabri Shaba was born in Kerkeslokh (Kirkuk) in 1966 and grew up in Shaqlawa. He was ordained a priest in 1991 to serve in the Baghdad diocese. As of 2014, he served the church community in Stockholm, Sweden. He obtained a doctorate in theology from the University of Rome in 2020.

Bishop Azzad Sabri Shaba fluently speaks his native Sureth (Syriac) language, Arabic, Kurdish, and Italian.

Today we participated at the ordination of new Chaldean Bishop of Nohadra-Duhok,I was pleased that @nadinemaenza had the opportunity to participate with us.The rituals of the Chaldean Church are considered as one of most ancient that dates back to the 1st century of Christianity. pic.twitter.com/bJMKySVPjF

— Ano Abdoka ܐܢܘ 𒀭𒀀𒉡 (@AnoAbdoka) January 21, 2022