Caucasus Muslims Office chair invites Pope Leo XIV to Azerbaijan PHOTO

Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, head of the Caucasian Muslims Office (CMO), led a delegation of Azerbaijani religious leaders on February 9 to the Vatican, where they held meetings with Pope Leo XIV and senior Vatican officials. 

The visit, at the Pope’s personal invitation, included representatives of Azerbaijan’s religious communities: Bishop Vladimir Fekete of the Apostolic Prefecture, Milikh Yevdayev of the Mountain Jewish Community, Robert Mobili of the Alban-Udi Christian Community, and Zamir Isayev of the Sephardic Jewish Community in Baku, Caliber.Az reports, citing CMO. 

During the audience, Pope Leo XIV praised the delegation’s visit as a symbol of peaceful coexistence and interfaith collaboration. Sheikh ul-Islam Pashazade conveyed greetings from President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, and the Azerbaijani people, underlining the strong, longstanding ties between Azerbaijan and the Holy See, fostered by national leadership and the efforts of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

He also highlighted Azerbaijan’s commitment to multifaith harmony and the preservation of religious heritage, noting ongoing restoration projects and the upcoming opening of a new Catholic church in Baku named after Pope John Paul II.

In separate meetings, the delegation held talks with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, and Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches, discussing interfaith cooperation, cultural heritage preservation, and the role of Azerbaijan in promoting civilisational dialogue.

Sheikh ul-Islam Pashazade also invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Azerbaijan next year to mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations with the Holy See and the 30th anniversary of the first meeting between Heydar Aliyev and Pope John Paul II.

The visit included the presentation of publications documenting Azerbaijan’s religious history and monuments, as well as updates on post-conflict restoration of religious sites. Officials from the Vatican and Azerbaijan expressed a shared commitment to fostering dialogue, understanding, and mutual cooperation between religious communities.

By Aghakazim Guliyev