Relationship dossier
Vatican City
Iraq
Relationship assessment
Diplomatic engagement and Pope Francis’s 2021 visit underpin cooperation focused on peace and religious coexistence.
Vatican City toward Iraq
+35The Holy See has maintained diplomatic engagement with Iraq and used papal diplomacy to encourage peace, reconciliation, and protection of Christian communities. Pope Francis visited Iraq in 2021, meeting Iraqi leaders and religious representatives.
Iraq toward Vatican City
+25Iraq invited Pope Francis to visit in 2021 and facilitated his meetings with government and religious leaders, providing a prominent setting for engagement with the Holy See.
Overall relationship
+30The relationship is characterized by sustained diplomatic engagement and high-level papal contact. Pope Francis’s 2021 visit, undertaken at Iraq’s invitation, reinforced shared public emphasis on peace and religious coexistence. The extent of practical cooperation beyond these engagements is unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The Holy See has sustained diplomatic engagement with Iraq and has used papal diplomacy to promote peace, reconciliation, and protection of Christian communities. Iraq invited Pope Francis to visit in 2021 and facilitated the visit, which included meetings with Iraqi leaders and religious representatives. These high-level contacts support a cooperative assessment, though the scope and implementation of broader bilateral cooperation are unclear.
Key developments
Pope Francis visited Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government and met political and religious leaders.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of practical cooperation under Holy See–Iraq diplomatic relations is unclear.
- The extent and implementation of Iraqi protections for Christian communities remain uncertain.