Chaldean Catholics from around the world gather with patriarch at the Vatican

Hundreds of Chaldean Catholics from Iraq and diaspora communities around the world gathered at the Vatican last week, joining Patriarch Paul III Nona for Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 15.

Celebrated according to the Chaldean rite, the Mass filled St. Peter’s Basilica with prayers and chants in Aramaic, bringing the traditions of the ancient Chaldean Church to the heart of Catholicism. The occasion expressed the unity of the Catholic Church across its different rites and traditions.

The celebration followed a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 14, during which Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, acting on behalf of Pope Leo XIV, publicly affirmed the ecclesiastical communion the pope granted to Nona following his election as patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans in April.

Chaldean Catholics gather Oct. 15, 2026, at the Vatican, expressing the unity of the Catholic Church across its different rites and traditions. | Credit: Romy Haber

For a community scattered across continents, the gathering was also an opportunity for Chaldean Catholics to come together in prayer, celebrate a shared heritage, and reflect on the challenges facing Chaldeans both in their homeland and…