News by email Donate

Suggestions

World News

Pope Francis meets Ukraine's Zelensky at Vatican

by Reuters Journalist
Zelensky Pope.JPG - Banner image
Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Pope Francis during a meeting at the Vatican on Friday for help in securing the release of Ukrainians held captive by Russia.

Zelensky, who is touring major European capitals to discuss his proposed "victory plan" for the war with Russia, said he had also invited the Vatican to take part in a conference on the prisoners-of-war, due to be held in Canada later this month.

"We are counting on the Holy See's assistance in helping to bring back Ukrainians who have been taken captive by Russia," Zelensky said in a post on social media, adding this was the main topic of his 35-minute conversation with the pope.

A Vatican readout provided no details about the pope's talks with Zelensky, but said a subsequent meeting between the Ukrainian leader and the Vatican's chief diplomat had included discussions "dedicated to the state of the war ... as well as the ways in which it could be brought to an end".

It was Zelenskiy's second face-to-face meeting with Pope Francis in four months. The two men also met on the sidelines of a Group of Seven (G7) summit in southern Italy in June.

At the end of Friday's meeting, Francis gifted Zelensky a piece of bronze artwork with a flower growing next to a bird, inscribed with the phrase "Peace is a fragile flower".

Zelensky gave the pope an oil painting showing a child amid ruins in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, which was occupied by Russian forces for 33 days in spring 2022.

Ukraine and the West accuse Russian forces of committing war crimes during their occupation of Bucha, which Moscow denies.

WAR AT CRITICAL POINT

Western officials and Zelensky have said the war with Russia is at a critical juncture and Ukraine is keen for further support to try to change the balance on the battlefield to put itself in a strong position for eventual peace talks.

The pope drew the ire of Ukrainian officials in March when he suggested they should have the courage of the "white flag" to negotiate an end to the war. At the time Zelensky dismissed the pope's remarks as "virtual mediation" from a distance.

Francis, 87, has also criticised Ukrainian lawmakers' plans to ban activities of a Russia-linked branch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which Kyiv accuses of spreading pro-Russian propaganda and of housing spies.

The pope met privately on Thursday with the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk. The prelate, based in Kyiv, has been in Rome for a Vatican summit of global bishops.

"I wanted to tell the pope about the disaster of the war and the challenges coming this winter," Shevchuk told the Vatican's media outlet.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate