On Wednesday, President Masoud Barzani arrived in the Vatican for an official meeting with the Head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV. This high-level meeting emphasized the critical need for peace, stability, and the aim to end global human suffering.  

According to a statement from Barzani's headquarters, The Pope warmly welcomed President Barzani, where they both expressed a mutual desire at the opportunity to exchange views on significant issues affecting the region and the world. 

Following their meeting, Pope Leo XIV and President Barzani exchanged gifts. A video from the meeting shows President Barzani presenting the Pope with a book filled with photographs that demonstrate the Kurdistan Region as a hub for coexistence.

Read more: Kurdistan’s Fallen Crosses

Additionally, President Barzani met with Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin. During the meeting, Cardinal Parolin expressed his appreciation for Barzani's role in fostering a culture of coexistence, stability, and security in both Kurdistan and Iraq, which has contributed to peace and tranquility in the region.

Cardinal Luis Sacco, Patriarch of Chaldeans in Iraq and around the world described Barzani’s visit to the Vatican as positive on both regional and international levels. Cardinal Sacco highlighted on his interview with local media that the Kurdistan Region serves an example of harmonious coexistence among diverse nations and religions, a model that Vatican deeply values and respects.”

During his visit, President Barzani also held several political meetings with senior Italian officials to discuss Kurdistan-Italy relations, the developments in the Middle East, and the attacks by armed groups affiliated with the Syrian Arab Army against the Kurds in Syria.

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani described the meeting with President Barzani as "very positive." On a X post, "We are working to strengthen our economic partnership by leveraging the expertise of our businesses and cooperating in the defense sector”

He noted that over 400 Italian military personnel are already engaged in anti-ISIS activities in the area, ensuring the security of the region. "With Barzani, we discussed the stability of Syria. Italy supports a peaceful and inclusive political transition in the country, which includes the participation of all groups in Syrian society. The integration of the Kurdish component into a new Syria is indispensable." He added

Following the meetings, President Barzani addressed reporters where he characterized the discussions as productive. Regarding the current situation in Syria, President Barzani highlighted his ongoing diplomatic efforts for peace and stability in Syria. He has received three phone calls from Syrian President, Ahmed al- Sharaa since the conflict started, during which Barzani urged the Syrian President to prevent a “Kurd- Arab war.” President Barzani also held a conversation with Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bn Hamad al-Thani, where they exchanged views on the latest development in Syria. Both leaders stressed the need to maintain stability and security in the region. 

Kurdistan Region has a long history of coexistence and religious tolerance not seen in other parts of Iraq and Middle East. For decades, Kurds have belonged to diverse religions, with people practicing different faiths regularly living in the same villages or towns. Despite the majority of the Kurdistan Region’s population being followers of Islam, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Endorsements and Religious Affairs has established a department for all religious groups, including Jews, Muslims, Yezidi, Kaka’i (Yarsani), Christians, and Zoroastrians. This remarkable initiative makes the KRG the only Muslim-majority government that officially protects the rights of all religious groups in the Middle East. 

Since 2003, Christians in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have faced mass violence and displacement, with 42 churches destroyed in Mosul and 43 in the Nineveh plain following the attacks by Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014. Many Christians had been displaced, unable to return to their homes due to the lack of security. While some sought refuge abroad, a significant number found sanctuary in the Kurdistan Region, which became a safe haven for various faiths and ethnicities amid the turmoil of sectarianism.

The Vatican and the Kurdistan Region maintain warm relations. On the day Pope Leo XIV was elected as the pastoral leader of the Catholic Church, leaders in the Kurdistan Region congratulated him. Notably, the strong relationship between the Kurdistan Region and the Vatican dates back to 2005, when then-Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani visited the Vatican and was greeted by Pope John Paul II. 

Read more: Kurdish Leaders Congratulate New Pope

Finally, Pope Benedict welcomed President Barzani on another visit on February 24, 2011. On February 19, 2020, during a visit to the Vatican, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani presented Pope Francis with a painting depicting religious coexistence in the Kurdistan Region.In March 2021, Pope Francis visited Kurdistan Region, where he met with senior officials and held a mass for thousands of people at the Franso Hariri Stadium in the capital city Erbil.