Sema
President Masoud Barzani has received an official invitation to Italy and is set to meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Wednesday as part of a visit aimed at strengthening ties between the Kurdistan Region and the Vatican.
Barzani will hold discussions with Pope Leo XIV and meet senior Italian officials. He is accompanied by Ano Jawhar, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Transportation and Communications.
The visit seeks to reinforce the longstanding relationship between the Kurdistan Region and the Vatican, following previous invitations extended to Kurdish delegations. A key goal is to engage directly with the newly elected pope and highlight Kurdistan’s role as a hub of peace and religious coexistence in the Middle East.
The delegation is expected to emphasize Kurdistan’s model of coexistence, where Christians, Muslims, Ezidis, and followers of other faiths live together in harmony. The visit also aims to strengthen international support for the Kurdish people through diplomatic and moral engagement with global religious and political institutions.
With the Vatican representing over 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, the meetings carry significant symbolic and diplomatic weight.
In addition to Vatican discussions, President Barzani will meet with high-ranking Italian officials to discuss Kurdistan–Italy relations, regional developments in the Middle East, and recent attacks by armed groups linked to the Syrian Arab Army against Kurds in western Kurdistan (Rojava), including reports of civilian casualties. The visit is also expected to focus on rallying broader international support for the Kurdish population in Rojava.