Kurdistan Region President congratulates Pope Leo XIV on his election as new leader of Catholic Church

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Thursday, in a post on X, congratulated Pope Leo XIV on his election as the new leader of the Catholic Church.

“On behalf of the Kurdistan Region, I extend my warmest congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on his election as the new leader of the Catholic Church. I am encouraged by His Holiness’s message of peace, compassion, and justice,” the Kurdistan Region President said.

He also paid tribute to the profound legacy of the late Pope Francis.

“The Kurdistan Region remains firmly committed to coexistence and interfaith harmony,” the President added.

Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, the son of Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martínez. As a child, he served as an altar boy at St. Mary of the Assumption Church on the far South Side of Chicago. Prevost completed his secondary education at the minor seminary of the Order of St. Augustine in 1973. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Villanova University in 1977. Prevost is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and can read Latin and German. On May 8, 2025, the second day of the 2025 papal conclave, Prevost was elected as the first pope from North America and the United States, assuming the name Leo XIV.

On behalf of the Kurdistan Region, I extend my warmest congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on his election as the new leader of the Catholic Church. I am encouraged by His Holiness’s message of peace, compassion, and justice.

I also pay tribute to the profound legacy of…

— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) May 8, 2025