Pope Francis expressed gratitude for the release of two Ukrainian Catholic priests from Russian detention and emphasised the collective prayer needed for all war prisoners.

According to The Catholic Spirit, during the Angelus prayer on the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, Pope Francis said: "I give thanks to God for the freeing of the two Greek Catholic priests," adding, “May all the prisoners of this war soon return home.”

The Pope went on to urge us to “pray for all populations wounded and threatened by fighting, that God may free them and support them in the struggle for peace.”

The arrest of Redemptorist Fathers Ivan Levytsky and Bohdan Geleta on November 16, 2022, in Berdyansk was due to “illegal possession of weapons” after military items were found in a church, according to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

Further distress was noted by the church in a website post, which mentioned reports indicating that "the priests were tortured while in captivity to solicit a confession."

In acknowledgment of their release among ten prisoners returned to Ukrainian authorities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on X: “I would also like to recognise the Holy See’s efforts to bring these people home.”

Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets informed Interfax News about this being a significant instance where "the Vatican played a role in mediating the repatriation of Ukrainian adults", marking a hopeful advancement in diplomatic relations.

Expressing his gratitude, Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk publically thanked Pope Francis and key Vatican figures, including Cardinals Pietro Parolin and Matteo Zuppi, as well as Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas for their roles in this release. He emphasised the ongoing crisis by writing: "More members of the clergy are among the thousands of Ukrainians that remain in Russian captivity," urging global efforts to secure their release as "their detention violates all international norms".