President Masoud Barzani today welcomed a delegation of American Christian leaders headed by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the Roman Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, D.C, to discuss the situation of Christians in Kurdistan and in Iraq.

Cardinal McCarrick said they are in Kurdistan to see for themselves the situation of Christians, specially whose who have fled violence from other parts of Iraq, and more recently from Syria, and who now have found refuge in Kurdistan.

He praised President Barzani personally and the KRG for the support and protection they have afforded to the Christians and added that they have seen it firsthand how generous and hospitable the KRG has been toward Christians.

President Barzani said that the KRG has the responsibility to support and protect all Kurdistan Region citizens, regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds. He reassured the visiting delegation that the KRG will not allow any kind of discrimination against the Christian community and highlighted the tolerance and peaceful co-existence of different religious and ethnic communities that the Kurdistan Region is historically known for.