Nadia Murad Speaks with Pope Francis at the Vatican

At the Vatican on August 26, 2021, Nadia Murad met privately with His Holiness Pope Francis to discuss the state of religious minorities in Iraq, especially those like the Yazidis who suffered greatly at the hands of ISIS. The Pope’s visit to Iraq earlier this year, inspired by his previous audience with Nadia, demonstrated the potential of interfaith peace-building to promote reconciliation between Iraq’s religious and ethnic communities. His Holiness spoke out against extremism and for the need to help the nation’s poor.

Nadia emphasized that religious freedom in Iraq is still threatened. Nadia spoke about the plight of the 2,800 missing Yazidi women and children, as well as the need to stop violence against women.

In light of recent events in Afghanistan, Pope Francis and Nadia sent their prayers for the well-being of the Afghan people.