The Pillar

Home
About
News
Pillar Posts
Analysis
Interviews
Explainers
On Leo's Desk
Data
Pillar Columns
Starting Seven
The Pillar Podcast
Sunday School
Look Closer
The Pillar TL;DR
Church in Iraq
—
News

Iraqi militia leader ‘used end-around’ to meet with pope

Rayan al-Kildani has engaged in a public war of words with the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church.

The Pillar
Sep 20, 2023
∙ Paid

A fleeting meeting between Pope Francis and a Iraqi militia leader was arranged outside of the usual diplomatic channels, according to a source close to the Vatican Secretariat of State.

A screenshot from a video shared by Rayan al-Kildani (@RyanAlchaldean) on the social media network X.

The encounter at a Sept. 6 general audience puzzled Vatican observer…

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 The Pillar · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture