Barzani meets Pope Leo XIV amid Syria offensive on Kurds

NEWSROOM — Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani met Wednesday with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, where both parties emphasized hopes for peace and stability in the region and beyond, according to a statement from Barzani Headquarters.

Pope Leo XIV welcomed Barzani with what was described as a warm reception. During the meeting, both leaders voiced their appreciation for the opportunity “to exchange views on important regional and global issues.”

Both leaders expressed shared hopes that “peace and stability would prevail in the world” and that “the suffering and hardship faced by nations would come to an end.”

The meeting comes amid Syrian government and affiliated armed groups assault on Kurds in northeastern Syria.

In early January 2026, forces of the Syrian Transitional Government launched a military offensive against predominantly Kurdish‑held neighborhoods in Aleppo, including Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, following a breakdown of a ceasefire agreement with the Kurdish‑led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. The assault involved ground fighting, artillery bombardments and incursions by government‑aligned units, and forced Kurdish fighters to withdraw from parts of the city.

By mid‑January 2026, the Syrian government advanced into broader Kurdish‑administered territory in northeastern Syria, including key areas that had been under Kurdish control for over a decade. Under a newly agreed ceasefire, the Syrian government assumed military and administrative control of towns such as Raqqa and Deir ez‑Zor previously held by the Kurdish‑led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Kurdish leaders have warned that the renewed offensive has displaced civilians and fueled fears of demographic change and ethnic targeting in Kurdish-majority areas.

On Tuesday Barzani expressed deep concern over military assaults by the Syrian government, calling for calm, responsibility, and international intervention.

Barzani said the he remains committed to efforts to prevent “disaster and tragedy” from affecting Kurds in the area. He warned that the current instability has created conditions that could allow the Islamic State to regroup.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, long backed by the U.S.-led coalition and central to the campaign that dismantled the Islamic State’s territorial control in 2019.