President Barzani Meets Vatican Secretary of State During Official Visit

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — President Masoud Barzani met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, on Wednesday, as part of his official visit to the Vatican.

During the meeting, Cardinal Parolin warmly welcomed President Barzani and praised his role in promoting coexistence, stability, and security in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

He highlighted that these efforts have contributed to an environment in which people across Kurdistan and Iraq are able to live in peace and relative harmony despite ongoing regional challenges.

The meeting also included an exchange of views on the political situation in Iraq and recent developments across the region. Particular attention was given to mounting threats to regional stability, especially the situation in Syria, amid continued conflict, insecurity, and uncertainty over the country’s future.

Relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Vatican constituted another key aspect of the discussions. Both sides emphasized the importance of maintaining and further strengthening ties, particularly in areas related to peacebuilding, dialogue among communities, and the protection of religious and ethnic diversity.

President Barzani’s visit comes within a broader context of sustained engagement between the Kurdistan Region and the Holy See over recent years. The Kurdistan Region has frequently been highlighted by Vatican officials as a model of religious coexistence in the Middle East, where Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, and followers of other faiths live side by side.

The ongoing dialogue with the Vatican is also seen as part of wider efforts by Kurdish leaders to mobilize international moral and diplomatic support for stability, minority rights, and peaceful solutions to conflicts affecting Iraq and the wider region.

Earlier in the day, President Barzani met with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in a high-level meeting underscoring the importance of peace, stability, and dialogue amid ongoing regional and global challenges.

President Barzani was formally received by Pope Leo XIV, who extended a warm welcome during the meeting. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the encounter, describing it as an important opportunity to exchange views on key issues affecting the Middle East and the wider international community.

During the talks, President Barzani and Pope Leo XIV voiced their shared hope that peace and stability would prevail across the world, and that the suffering and hardships faced by people in conflict-affected regions would come to an end.