Middle East Information Resource
Religions/Belief Systems - Chaldeans
The Chaldeans are a branch of the Nestorian Assyrian Church that broke away from it and joined the Roman Catholic Church in 1552 through the Uniate, under the leadership of John Sulaka, who had been appointed Patriarch of the Catholic Nestorians by the Pope. They follow East Syriac liturgy and retain administrative autonomy.
The sect’s origins are in Chaldea and Mesopotamia. The Chaldeans live mostly in Iraq, some live in Iran, and there are small communities in Turkey, Lemanon, Syria, Egypt and India. The Chaldean community grew considerably after World War I through conversions of Assyrian refugees in Iraq. There are approximately 215,000 Chaldeans in Iraq, residing mostly in Nasseriyya. The Chaldean Church is headed by the Patriarch of Babylon, who used to reside in Mogul, but has moved to Baghdad.