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.

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…