ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Thursday congratulated Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States, now known as Pope Leo XIV, following his election as the 267th Pope, the first American pontiff to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
In a statement on X, President Barzani remarked, “On behalf of the Kurdistan Region, I extend my warmest congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on his election as the new leader of the Catholic Church.”
Asserting the Kurdistan Region’s firm commitment to “coexistence and interfaith harmony,” President Barzani further lauded “His Holiness’s message of peace, compassion, and justice” and paid tribute “to the profound legacy of the late Pope Francis.”
Earlier that day, white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel, signaling the election of a new pontiff. The 133 voting cardinals required a two-thirds majority vote to elect the next pope.
In his first address as pontiff from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV called for peace and paid tribute to the late Pope Francis.
Pope Leo XIV, born 69 years ago in Chicago, Illinois, holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Villanova University and a diploma in theology from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.
He later studied canon law at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University in Rome and was ordained as a priest in June 1982. His career included teaching canon law in Trujillo, Peru, and serving as a missionary in South Africa. He later served as a bishop in Peru.
US President Donald Trump also commented on the election of the first-ever American pope, calling it a “Great Honor for our Country.”
In a statement on his social media platform, Truth Social, President Trump congratulated Pope Leo XIV and said, “I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
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