Governance, Legislation & Final Roadmap Crown Day Three of Church Endowments Conference

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, 28 May 2025 — The Church Endowments Administration Conference at the Catholic University in Erbil (CUE) closed its three-day programme today with a strong focus on pastoral stewardship, governance reform and a constitutional roadmap that will guide the drafting of Iraq’s first stand-alone law on Christian endowments.

Pastoral and Ecclesial Stewardship

Father Dr Jean El Hachem opened the day by highlighting The Pastoral and Ecclesial Dimensions in Managing Church Funds and Properties. Transparent budgets, clear donor communication and evidence-based social spending, he said, are “as pastoral as preaching,” because they protect public trust and honour donor intent.

Good Governance from Within

Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda followed with Governance in the Management of Church Endowments, presenting a template built on canon law, annual audits and participatory oversight councils. Robust internal governance, he noted, “turns theological intent into measurable social impact.”

The Legislative Perspective

In The Role of Parliament in Legislating Laws for Religious Communities, Lawyer Azad Hormez Nissan mapped current legal gaps that leave Christian endowments exposed to administrative encroachment and urged Parliament to move swiftly on protective legislation.

Draft Personal Status Law Workshop

A working session led by Father Salem Saka reviewed the Draft Personal Status Law for Christians in Iraq. Legal and ecclesial experts refined articles on marriage, inheritance and endowment oversight, preparing the text for submission to parliamentary committees.

Final Recommendations

Grounded in Article 43(b) of the Iraqi Constitution—guaranteeing each religious community the right to organise and administer its own endowments—the conference adopted four priority actions:

1. Legislative – The Endowments and Religious Affairs Committee of the Council of Representatives should, in direct consultation with Church leadership, draft and pass a dedicated Christian Endowments Law that sets shared principles while allowing each denomination to keep its own detailed rules.
   
2. Academic – CUE will host a rolling series of workshops that bring together canon-law scholars and civil jurists to produce a model text that reflects ecclesial principles and the spirit of the Constitution.
   
3. Executive – The Federal Cabinet and the Kurdistan Regional Cabinet are urged to implement Article 12 of Law 58 (2012) immediately, granting full tax-and-fee exemption to Christian endowment funds, and to transmit the draft endowments bill to Parliament without delay.
   
4. Judicial – Courts should activate Articles 11, 13, 16 and 17 of Judicial Statement 6 (1917), ensuring that disputes over Christian endowments are first referred to the competent spiritual authority and that its decisions are formally certified, thus shielding Church property from inappropriate civil-law application.