ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Sunday said those who call for normalizing relations with Israel do not represent Iraqis, following accusations that Cardinal Louis Sako, the patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, had done so in his Christmas Eve remarks, which he subsequently rejected as false interpretations.

During a Christmas Mass in Baghdad on Wednesday, Sako sparked controversy by calling on the government to make efforts toward “normalization in Iraq and with Iraq.” The Christian leader’s comments were slammed by top officials and political leaders who viewed them as a call for normalizing relations with Israel.

In a message to Sadr on Saturday, Sako said that he “followed with regret” the interpretations that were made for his Christmas Eve remarks, saying he was “hurt that it was taken out of context.”

“Our beloved Christians have always coexisted peacefully with the rest of the people in accordance with divine and legal systems, and this necessitates treating them the same way,” Sadr said on Sunday.

“Any transgression by some of them, such as those calling for normalization, praising LGBTQ+ society, or supporting corruption, does not represent them, just as it does not represent us,” he added.

In a letter to Sadr a day earlier, Sako said he did not refer to any political normalization; he wanted to draw the world’s attention towards Iraq’s history to revitalize religious and archeological tourism.

He firmly denied visiting Israel and said the leaked audio was created using artificial intelligence.

“I categorically refused to visit Israel. The circulating leak is fabricated using AI,” Sako said. “At the time, I was with Pope Francis. He went to Israel, but I did not, out of respect for the Palestinian cause.”

Hours following Sako’s Christmas Eve speech, Sadr posted a statement on his social media platforms, stating, “Normalization is a crime punishable under Iraqi law. Anyone who incites or calls for it, whoever they may be, is not immune from punishment. The relevant official authorities must fulfill their duty immediately. There is no place for normalization or its legitimization in Iraq.”

Iraq maintains a hardline stance against Israel. The country’s Law of Criminalizing the Normalization with the Zionist Entity prohibits officials and media personnel from engaging with Israel in any capacity, making it punishable by death.