Sako was made a cardinal by Francis in 2018, the first Chaldean patriarch to hold the rank. His resignation was accepted by Leo XIV on 9 March 2026 and announced the following day; he said he intended to devote himself to prayer and writing. The synod that elected his successor met in Rome and chose Amel Shamon Nona, born at Alqosh in 1967, who had been archbishop of Mosul at the time of the 2014 flight and was later bishop for Chaldeans in Australia and New Zealand. He took the name Paul III and was enthroned in Baghdad on 30 May 2026. A patriarch of Babylon who personally lost his own see to Islamic State now holds the office.