Pope Francis held an informal meeting with Nechirvan Barzani, 49, Prime Minister of the Regional Government of Iraqi Kurdistan. Unlike most state visits to the Holy Father, there was no traditional exchange of gifts except for the traditional medals of the pontificate, with which the Pope wished to honor every member of the small delegation — a total of four men and one woman, Mrs. Rezan Kader, top representative of the regional government of Kurdistan in Italy.
The private conversation in English, with the aid of an interpreter, lasted 15 minutes. At the end of it, Nechrivan Barzani – nephew of Mas’ud Barzani, President of the Iraqi Region of Kurdistan — was received by the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, and also met with the Vice-President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Guzman Carriquiry.
