Chaldean Catholics

Chaldean Catholics (/kælˈdiːən/) (Syriac: ܟܲܠܕܵܝܹ̈ܐ ܩܲܬܘܿܠܝܼܩܵܝܹ̈ܐ), also known as Chaldeans (ܟܲܠܕܵܝܹ̈ܐ, Kaldāyē), Chaldo-Assyrians or Assyro-Chaldeans, are ethnic Assyrian adherents of the Chaldean Catholic Church, which originates from the historic Church of the East.

Other Christian denominations present in Assyrian demographics include the Assyrian Church of the East and the Ancient Church of the East (both of which also originate from the historic Church of the East and are modernly significantly less numerous than the Chaldean Catholic Church), the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Syriac Catholic Church.

The Chaldean Catholic community was formed in Upper Mesopotamia in the 16th and 17th centuries, arising from groups of the Church of the East who, after the schism of 1552, entered into communion with the Holy See (the Roman Catholic Church). Chaldean Catholics, indigenous to northern Mesopotamia, modernly divided between Iraq, Turkey, and Syria, have since migrated to Western countries including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Sweden and Germany. Chaldean Catholics and Assyrians in general also live in Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Iran, Turkey, and Georgia. The most recent reasons for migration are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, poor economic conditions during the sanctions against Iraq, and poor security conditions after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.