Iraqi Kurdish leader assures Pope Leo of commitment to protecting Christians’ rights

May 19, 2026

The president of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region met with Pope Leo XIV on May 18 and assured the Pontiff of his commitment to protecting Christians’ rights.

Following the Islamic State’s conquest of Mosul in 2014, tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians fled to the Kurdistan region.

“I reaffirmed that Christians and all religious communities are not only an integral part of the Kurdistan Region’s history and identity, but continue to shape its future,” President Nechirvan Barzani said in a social media post. “I reiterated to His Holiness that protecting their rights, dignity, and peaceful presence in their ancestral homeland will always remain our duty.”

President Barzani added:

I expressed Iraq’s and the Kurdistan Region’s deep appreciation for the Vatican’s moral leadership and its important role in promoting dialogue and coexistence across the world. I also recalled with gratitude the late Pope Francis’ historic visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and extended an invitation for His Holiness to visit Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

The president met separately with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness.

The parties “discussed the development of relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq with the Vatican, the political and security situation in Iraq and the situation of religious and ethnic communities,” according to a statement from the president’s office. “Both sides stressed the importance of continuing dialogue and deepening the values ​​of coexistence and tolerance in the region.”

The president expressed gratitude for “the Vatican’s continued support in promoting peace and stability,” the statement continued. Cardinal Parolin, in turn, “praised the Kurdistan Region’s position as a living and successful example of peaceful coexistence of different religions and communities in the region.”

“Another topic of the meeting was to discuss the latest developments in the general situation in the region and the humanitarian consequences of tensions,” the statement concluded. “In this regard, both sides agreed on the need to maintain peace and stability in the region.”

 

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Further information:

• Social media post (X, @IKRPresident, 5/18/26)
• سەرۆک نێچیرڤان بارزانی لەگەڵ سەرۆکوەزیرانی ڤاتیکان کۆبووەوە (Presidency.gov.krd, 5/18/26)