KRG Minister Ano Jawhar Abdoka Meets Pope Leo XIV and Global Leaders at Vatican
The gathering brought together Catholic government officials, political leaders, and legislators from across the globe.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Ano Jawhar Abdoka, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister of Transport and Communications and Secretary General of the Christian Alliance, took part in a high-level meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Monday.
The gathering brought together Catholic government officials, political leaders, and legislators from across the globe. Attendees included senior White House officials, advisers to former US President Donald Trump, members of the US Congress, NATO representatives, and parliamentarians from the European Union, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Several Catholic cardinals were also present.
The meeting underscored the Vatican’s continuing role as a platform for international dialogue and conflict resolution. Abdoka’s participation highlighted the KRG’s growing engagement with global political and religious leaders in efforts to promote peace, coexistence, and cooperation on pressing international challenges.
Abdoka is an Assyrian politician who has served as Minister of Transport and Communications in the Kurdistan Region since July 2019. He leads the Shlama Trend for Christian Affairs in the Kurdish region and previously headed the local committee of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Ankawa.
It’s worth noting that the former pope, Pope Francis, visited the Kurdistan Region on March 7, 2021, as part of his historic apostolic trip to Iraq. During his visit, he was welcomed by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani at Erbil International Airport and held a large mass for thousands of people at Franso Hariri Stadium.
