The President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani met His Holiness Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) in a formal audience held at Vatican City, where discussions focused on religious coexistence, minority rights, and regional stability.

In a statement posted on X, the President described the meeting as an honor and reaffirmed that Christians and other religious communities remain an essential part of the identity and historical fabric of the Kurdistan Region and continue to contribute to its future development.

He emphasized that the protection of their rights, dignity, and freedom to live peacefully in their ancestral homelands remains a core responsibility of the Kurdistan Region’s leadership. The President also expressed appreciation for the Vatican’s moral and humanitarian role in promoting dialogue, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence globally.

During the meeting, he further recalled with gratitude the historic visit of the late Pope Francis to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, describing it as a milestone in interfaith relations and regional understanding. He extended a formal invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in the future.