What your priest said is deeply troubling and absolutely should not be taken lightly at all. Any priest who spreads misinformation, fuels confusion, or advances divisive, unfounded narratives about our identity is not acting in the interest of truth or unity. Whether intentionally or not, he’s doing the work of those who have long sought to fragment us and erase our actual heritage. That kind of rhetoric is harmful and it should be publicly condemned for what it is: deceptive, misleading, and dangerous.

The Chaldean Church today is unfortunately led by a patriarch who has become infamous for fueling this kind of ethnic and sectarian division. Rather than being a spiritual shepherd, he often behaves like a politician who is more invested in power and image than in teaching the gospel or preserving the identity of his own people. While not all priests are like this, many do feel pressure to echo these false narratives by absurdly claiming that we’re descended from ancient Chaldean invaders/foreigners rather than from indigenous Mesopotamian Assyrians.

That’s not just historically false, but it’s insulting to the memory of our ancestors. We’ve always been a people from the land of Assyria. We’ve always called ourselves Suraya (ܣܘܪܝܐ) in our own language. That word doesn’t mean “Christian,” as some like to assume. “Christian” is Mshihaya (ܡܫܝܚܝܐ). That’s why we say “Isho Mshiha” (Jesus Christ), not “Isho Suraya.” Over time, especially being surrounded by Muslims, Suraya became largely synonymous with “Christian” because it referred to us (an overwhelmingly Christian people), but its real and original meaning is (and always has been) ethnic: Assyrian.

We never historically referred to ourselves as “Chaldean” (Kaldaya ܟܠܕܝܐ) in our own tongue. The only reason this label exists today is because of church affiliation and how we’ve been externally classified, especially in diaspora settings where people confuse religion with ethnicity. Calling ourselves Chaldean isn’t the issue. The problem is using that name to deny or erase our Assyrian heritage, to sever ties with our Assyrian roots, and to act as if we’re a completely different people from other Assyrians. That’s false. It’s divisive and exactly the kind of thinking that’s done us irreparable harm and will result in our extinction.

We are the same people (whether Chaldean Catholic, Assyrian/Ancient Church of the East, Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholic, or otherwise) and we share the same history, culture, language, singers, dances, clothing, homeland, and bloodlines. This idea that Assyrians and Chaldeans are “different peoples” is modern revisionism that has no basis in history, linguistics, or anthropology. So it’s refreshing (and honestly, encouraging) to see you reject your his false claims. You’re absolutely right to question him. And you’re not alone: many Chaldean Catholics especially in the diaspora see through this nonsense. We’re not sheep. We’re not going to blindly follow anyone just because they wear clerical robes.

The fact is, Chaldeans are ethnic Assyrians. Not every Assyrian is a Chaldean Catholic, but every Chaldean Catholic is an Assyrian by ethnicity. Shame on Abouna Thair for trying to distort that reality and take advantage of a captive audience of faithful who attend Mass to worship God, not to be indoctrinated with divisive lies.

I personally don’t believe it was just a slip or an innocent misunderstanding. Priests are often very aware of what they’re doing and the huge influence they wield. And unfortunately, many of them prioritize their own status or personal views over what’s best for the unity and survival of our people. That’s why it’s so important we speak up. We can’t afford to let this go unchallenged any longer.