Bishop Habib Hermez new Apostolic Visitator for Chaldean Catholics in Europe

VATICAN — Pope Leo XIV, acting upon the request of the Chaldean Synod held in Baghdad in July 2024, has appointed Bishop Habib Hermez as the new Apostolic Visitor for Chaldean communities throughout Europe. He succeeds Bishop Saad Syrop while continuing to serve as Archbishop of Basra in southern Iraq. 

Born in 1960 in the village of Baqofa, Bishop Hermez studied geology at the University of Mosul, earning his master’s degree in 1989. He later entered the Patriarchal Seminary and taught at Babel College before being ordained as a priest in 1998. 

His pastoral service began at Mar Gorgis Chaldean Church in New Baghdad, followed by missionary work in the UK starting in 2004. He holds an MA in Practical Theology. In 2014, the Chaldean Synod elected him Archbishop of Basra and Southern Iraq, and he was consecrated in December 2014. 

A published author and contributor to theological writings, Bishop Hermez now assumes his new responsibilities overseeing Chaldean missions in Europe.