Appointment of bishop of the eparchy of Duhok, Iraq

The Holy Father Francis has granted his assent to the canonical election, by the Synod of Bishops of the Patriarchal Church of Babylon of the Chaldeans, of the Reverend Chorbishop Azard Sabri Shaba as bishop of the eparchy of Duhok, Iraq.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Azad Sabri Shaba was born on 1 February 1966 in Shaqlawa, Iraq. He completed his studies in philosophy and theology in the patriarchal seminary in Baghdad.

He was ordained a priest on 11 January 1991 for the archeparchy of Erbil, and was deputy parish priest of the community of Shaqlawa until 1994, and then parish priest until 2002.

From 2002 to 2006 he was rector of the minor seminary in Baghdad. He transferred to Rome to complete his studies, and in 2009 he was awarded a licentiate in moral theology from the Alphonsianum Academy.

He returned to Shaqlawa as parish priest and taught moral theology at the Institute of Theology and Philosophy of the Babel College in Erbil, until he was appointed protosyncellus of the archeparchy of Erbil in 2010. In 2014 he completed his doctorate in Rome, and subsequently provided pastoral assistance to the Chaldean community in Sweden.

He knows Arabic, Kurdish, Italian, English and Swedish.