The Presidency of the Republic denied the statements of Cardinal Louis Sacco about communicating with him, indicating that it did not make any contact after completing the procedures for withdrawing the Republican Decree. The Presidency of the Republic stated in a statement: "we categorically denies what was stated in the statement of Cardinal Louis Sacco on Al-Sharqiya channel that the President of the Republic tried to contact him several times." It confirmed that "no one from the Presidency's cadres made any contact with him after completing the procedures for withdrawing the Republican Decree. Cardinal Sacco had previously appealed the decision to withdraw Republican Decree No. (147) of 2013 before the Federal Supreme Court, and the court ruled, in accordance with its decision No. (186) of 2023, to reject the appeal and rule on the validity of the procedures for withdrawing the Republican Decree, on the presumption that clerics of all religions are not employees in the official institutions of the stat e, and their authority is religious, not governmental, and the Presidency of the Republic withdrew the Republican Decrees for all clerics of the Christian religion and other religions to correct the previous legal situations, and they did not object to the decisions to withdraw the decrees." It added: "What is related to the Prime Minister granting Cardinal Sacco a royal order is a matter subject to his discretion. Source: National Iraqi News Agency