“President Nechirvan Barzani, who is also representing Iraq, will participate tomorrow, Saturday, at the Vatican in the official farewell ceremony for Pope Francis, which will be attended by representatives from all over the world,” the statement said.
Pope Francis died at his residence on Monday after receiving treatment for weeks for an infection that led to double pneumonia.
The pope made a historic trip to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in March 2021, visiting the birthplace of Abraham in Ur in southern Iraq and the war-torn northern city of Mosul, and celebrating mass for 10,000 people in Erbil.
President Barzani expressed his condolences in a post on X on Monday, saying he was “deeply saddened by the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis - a man of great humility, compassion, and moral courage.”
“His Holiness’s historic and courageous visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in 2021 was a profound act of faith and solidarity, remembered with deep respect and gratitude by all our people,” he added. “I will always cherish our meetings and his prayers for peace in Kurdistan, Iraq, and the world.”
The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to hospital in Rome on February 14 and was diagnosed with pneumonia. After 38 days, he was discharged from the hospital and appeared in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to wish a Happy Easter to thousands of worshippers.
The cause of his death was identified by doctors as a stroke and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.
