Ishtartv.com- catholicnewsagency.com

By Georgena Habbaba

Oct 2, 2025

The Catholic University of Erbil in Iraq (CUE) on Sept. 30 celebrated the graduation of 114 students from the 2024–2025 academic year in the presence of church leaders, government officials, diplomats, faculty members, and families of the graduates.

In his address, Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda, chairman of the university’s board of trustees, emphasized that the university was founded “to be a living presence, an effective mission, and a genuine testimony.” He stressed: “Education is the greatest service we can offer, because it forms new generations that carry hope and renew life.”

The archbishop also underlined that the Church wanted the Catholic University to be “a university of dialogue, bringing together Christians, Muslims, and Yazidis, to discover that what unites them is far greater than what divides them, and that the first and last word should belong to their shared humanity.”

This year’s graduates included the first beneficiaries of the Pope Francis Scholarship, launched by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Warda expressed gratitude to all benefactors and supporters of the university and its students.

In a message addressed to the university on the occasion of its fifth graduating class and the 10th anniversary of its founding, Pope Leo XIV assured the institution of his prayers. The message, read during the ceremony, granted the university’s professors, graduates, and their families his apostolic blessing.

Over the course of a decade, the Catholic University of Erbil has established itself as a prominent academic and research institution while also playing an important role in serving the local community. The university has provided hundreds of scholarships to students from across Iraq’s diverse communities, organized national conferences, launched pioneering initiatives, and hosted international programs.

Currently, CUE is preparing to open enrollment for the 2025–2026 academic year. Nearly 1,000 students are enrolled in various programs leading to degrees recognized by both the Kurdistan Regional Government’s and Iraq’s federal Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, as well as internationally.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.