Chaldean Eparchy Established for Oceania

SYDNEY, Australia, OCT. 25, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI named Archbishop Djibrail Kassab to head the newly established Chaldean eparchy in Oceania, St. Thomas the Apostle of Sydney.

Archbishop Kassab, 68, was transferred from the Archeparchy of Bassorah in Iraq, and will retain the title of archbishop as a personal title, the Holy See reported Saturday.

A native of Telkef, Iraq, Archbishop Kassab studied at the Chaldean patriarchal seminary of Mossul.

He was ordained a priest in Baghdad in 1961, and was named archbishop of Bassorah in 1995.

Archbishop Philip Wilson, president of the Australian episcopal conference, warmly welcomed the creation of the Chaldean Eparchy of Oceania.

"It is important that Catholics who belong to the Chaldean Church have the opportunity to celebrate their faith and worship according to their own rituals and laws, and the creation of a Chaldean Eparchy will help facilitate this," said Archbishop Wilson.

There are approximately 26,000 faithful of the Chaldean rite in Australia, and 3,000 in New Zealand. The new eparchy includes the Chaldean communities in both those countries.