Christian religious and political leaders in Iraq have urged Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi to guarantee genuine political partnership for the community, enforce state authority, and improve security for the dwindling minority in the Mid-East country.

They have called for support for the return of families displaced from their areas in recent years, The New Arab, a London-based publication has reported.

Iraq's Christian population which was around 1.5 million before the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 has decreased sharply over the past two decades, to fewer than 200,000 today according to the publication citing church estimates and those of advocacy groups.

"Members of the community want to feel safe and stable, and to remove the causes that pushed thousands of families to migrate in recent years," said the news outlet.

Al-Zaidi took office on May 14, and the demands came a few weeks later, when Iraq's parliament approved his government program and part of his cabinet following months of post-election negotiations.

Iraq held parliamentary elections on Nov. 11, 2025, and was followed by months of coalition wrangling that delayed the formation of a new government until the Shia Coordination Framework nominated Al-Zaidi as its prime ministerial candidate in late April, 2026.

          -- Growing concern for Christians' future

According to The New Arab, the demands reflect growing concern among influential Christian figures who say the community's future depends on the state's ability to impose the rule of law, protect citizens, and curb the influence of armed groups that operate outside of official institutions.

Christian community leaders attribute the decline to displacement and insecurity driven by war along with economic pressure, and the persistent weakness of state protection in historically Christian areas.

Mar Paulus III Nona, Patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and the world, said Iraq's Christians had been "deeply affected by terrorism, wars and the displacement the country has witnessed."

Paulus III is an Iraqi Catholic hierarch who has served as Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Baghdad since 2026, according to Wikipedia.

He previously served as Archbishop-Bishop of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Sydney, in Australia from 2015 to 2026, and as Archbishop of Mosul from 2010 to 2015, including his exile amid the ISIS takeover in his region.

In press remarks on Sunday, he expressed hope that conditions would improve and that trust in the land and its people would be restored, allowing all communities to live together normally.

"The coming phase should witness reverse migration, and the return of families to their original areas after the proper conditions for life and stability are provided," he said.

         -- 'Respect for human dignity'

He noted that "peace, coexistence, respect for human dignity and the guarantee of the legitimate rights of all components are basic pillars for building a sound and stable society".

"Iraq will be on the right path once these principles are consolidated and genuinely acted upon," he said.

Ano Jawhar Abdoka, the transport minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government and Secretary-General of the Christian Alliance in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, had on June 19 delivered a strong appeal to Iraqi leadership during the 33rd General Assembly of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy in Helsinki.

The conference was held under the theme "Christian Communities and Minorities in Times of Crisis: The Relationship between Society, State, and Church – Challenges and Hardships," according to Kurdistan24.net.

The gathering brought together parliamentarians from 26 countries, government officials, and senior church leaders from Europe, Asia, and the Arab region.

Abdoka highlighted "mounting challenges" facing Christian communities in Iraq and the broader Middle East, warning that their long-term survival depends on "genuine partnership, meaningful reforms, equal citizenship, fair representation, and the rule of law."

His message was seen as a direct message to Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, in which he expressed hopes for a a "new era of stability and national partnership," while urging decisive action to protect minority rights.

Abdoka called on Al-Zaidi to "take decisive steps to save the Christian section of the community from the encroachment of militias and corrupt economic offices."

He also urged the government to establish a "genuine national partnership that guarantees the rights of Christians as indigenous people of Mesopotamia," The New Arab reported.

Speaking two days ago at the 33rd General Assembly of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, Abdoka said Christians were looking to the new government for a period of stability.