Leader Barzani holds talks with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican

Shafaq News– Vatican City

The head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP ), leader Masoud Barzani, held talks with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday at the Vatican City, focusing on regional and global issues.

The KDP media office said that the meeting covered developments in the Middle East and broader international challenges, with both sides stressing the importance of “peace, stability, and easing the suffering of communities affected by conflict.”

Barzani arrived in the Vatican earlier today, accompanied by a delegation that included the Kurdish Minister of Transport and Communications, Ano Jawhar Abdulmaseeh Abdoka, Iraq’s ambassador to the Vatican, Amal Musa Hussein, and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s representative in Italy, Rezan Hama Saleh.

The visit marks Barzani’s second trip to the Vatican after the 2014 visit, when he met Pope Francis.