Politics

Cardinal Louis Sako, President Masoud Barzani talk Iraq stability

The church official asked the KDP head to play his role in bringing Iraq's political forces together to "achieve stability" in the country.

Dler S. Mohammed 2021/12/12 15:10

President Masoud Barzani in meeting with Cardinal Louis Sako, Dec. 12, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan Christians in Kurdistan Region Cardinal Louis Sako President Masoud Barzani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – President Masoud Barzani, the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), on Sunday received Iraq's Chaldean Church Patriarch Cardinal Louis Sako at his office in Erbil.

President Barzani and Cardinal Sako discussed the latest political and security developments in Iraq, a statement from the Kurdish leader's office said.

The church official asked the KDP head to play his role in bringing Iraq's political forces together to "achieve stability" in the country, the statement added.

They also discussed the living situation of Christians in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, affirming the importance of enhancing coexistence among different components.

Christian communities in Iraq, most recently affected by the 2014 ISIS takeover of multiple Christian-majority towns, have continued to dwindle since 2003.

In his visit to the Kurdistan Region on March 7, Pope Francis told Kurdish leaders that "You have protected the Christians when ISIS attacked," describing the autonomous region as a "home for displaced Christians."

Pope Francis held a Mass for roughly 10,000 attendees at a sports stadium in the Kurdistan Region's capital.