Ibrahim Namo Ibrahim (born October 1, 1937) is a
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. He served as the
Apostolic Exarch
An exarch (;
from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'') was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical.
In the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, ...
of United States of America from 1982 to 1985, and then, following its elevation, as the first
eparch
Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an Ecclesiology, ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administra ...
(bishop) of the
Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Detroit, from 1985 until his retirement in 2014. Bishop
Francis Y. Kalabat was named to succeed him as Eparch.
Biography
Born in
Tel Keppe
Tel Keppe ( ', ', alternatively spelled Tel Kaif, Tilkepe, or Telkef) is a town in northern Iraq. It is located in the Nineveh Governorate, less than 8 mi (13 km) northeast of Mosul.Welcome to Tel Keppe at ChaldeansOnline http://www.cha ...
,
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
to a
Chaldo-Assyrian family in 1937, Ibrahim was later ordained a priest on December 30, 1962.
Ibrahim travelled to Rome in 1972 for Rome to study at the
Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas ''Angelicum'' earning a doctorate in theology in 1975.
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
named him as the
Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of ''Anbar dei Caldei'' and Apostolic Exarch of the United States of America on January 11, 1982. He was ordained a bishop by Patriarch
Paul II Cheikho
Mar Paul II Cheikho † (, Arabic: بولس الثاني شيخو) (November 19, 1906 – April 13, 1989) was the patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church from 1958 until his death in 1989.
Life
An ethnic Assyrian, he was born on Novembe ...
of the
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites, particular church (''sui iuris'') in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church, and is ...
on March 7, 1982. The principal co-consecrators were Archbishops
Emmanuel-Karim Delly, Curial Bishop of Babylon,
George Garmo of
Mosul
Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
, Stéphane Babaca of Arbil, Stéphane Katchou of Basra, and Bishops Abdul-Ahad Sana of
Alquoch and Abdul-Ahad Rabban, O.A.O.C. of Aqrā. On August 3, 1985 Pope John Paul II elevated the Apostolic Exarchate to an
Eparchy
Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an Ecclesiology, ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administra ...
and Ibrahim was named its first bishop.
See also
*
Catholic Church hierarchy
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons. In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gif ...
*
Catholic Church in the United States
The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion, communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Pope Leo XIV, Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , t ...
*
Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
*
List of Catholic bishops of the United States
The following is a list of bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States. The list also includes bishops in the American territories of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Cath ...
*
Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
This is a directory of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops across various Christian denominations. To find an individual who was a bishop, see the most relevant article linked below or :Bishops.
Lists
Catholic
* Bishops in the Catholic Chu ...
References
External links
Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Detroit Official Site
Episcopal succession
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibrahim, Ibrahim Namo
1937 births
Living people
People from Tel Keppe
Iraqi Assyrian people
Iraqi Eastern Catholics
Iraqi emigrants to the United States
Chaldean Catholic bishops
20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops
21st-century Eastern Catholic bishops
American Eastern Catholic bishops
20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops
21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Chaldean Catholic Church in the United States
American people of Assyrian descent