Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received Cardinal Louis Sako, Head of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq and the world, and his accompanying delegation in Erbil on Sunday.

Discussions focused on the status of the Chaldean community and Christians in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and the situation of the displaced Christians in the country. The status of the Nineveh Plains and the situation of the Christians in Mosul and the wider region were highlighted.

Both sides underlined that the displaced Christians must be reassured of their safe return to their homes and rebuild their areas which were profoundly damaged by ISIS rampage. The need for international assistance was affirmed.

Cardinal Sako commended the culture of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, tolerance and progress in the Kurdistan Region, stressing that the Kurdistan Region and its leadership have provided an inclusive identity to all religious and ethnic communities in the country. Cardinal Sako urged Christian refugees around the world to return to the safety of the Kurdistan Region and take part in its progress and reconstruction.

President Nechirvan Barzani stressed that the Kurdistan Region prides itself for its culture of coexistence and tolerance, and will always remain a land of peace and security for all its components. Both sides described the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region as a an important event, deepening the culture of coexistence.

Discussions also covered the upcoming Iraqi elections, the status of the Church and Christians in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.