‘Peace is possible’ says Leo ahead of meeting with Zelenskyy

‘I invited the Pope to visit Ukraine,’ said the president after his audience on Tuesday. ‘This would be a powerful signal of support for our people.’

Pope Leo received President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Castel Gandolfo on Tuesday for talks “focused on the war in Ukraine”.

The Vatican said the Pope “reiterated the need for the continuation of dialogue and expressed his urgent desire that the current diplomatic initiatives bring about a just and lasting peace”. They also discussed “the questions of prisoners of war and the need to ensure the return of Ukrainian children to their families”.

In a statement after the meeting, Zelenskyy said he expressed his appreciation for the Vatican’s “ongoing humanitarian assistance and the readiness to expand humanitarian missions” and thanked the Pope “for this conversation and for all the attention given to our people”.

“I invited the Pope to visit Ukraine,” he said. “This would be a powerful signal of support for our people.”

Last week, Leo said his visit to Turkey and Lebanon “teaches us that peace is possible” amid efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.

Reflecting on his apostolic journey from 27 November to 2 December and its emphasis on “peace and unity” at the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Leo said his experience showed “that Christians in dialogue with men and women of other faiths and cultures can contribute to building it up”.

After telling reporters on his flight from Istanbul to Beirut on 30 November of Turkey’s ability “to promote dialogue, a ceasefire, and to see how to resolve this conflict, this war in Ukraine”, during his flight back to Rome on 2 December the Pope discussed US President Donald Trump’s work to “promote a peace plan that he would like to carry out and that, at least at first, is without Europe”.

“But Europe’s presence is important,” Leo said, suggesting that “Italy’s role could be very important” because it “has the capacity to act as an intermediary”. President Zelenskyy visited London and Brussels on Monday to meet European and Nato leaders, before travelling to Rome on Tuesday for meetings with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Leo.

In a statement at the United Nations in New York on 3 December, the charge d’affaires of the Holy See’s permanent observer mission Mgr Robert Murphy condemned “the devastation of once-vibrant cities and the disruption of the lives of children” in Ukraine.

“The Holy See renews its call for the end of this war, not at some undefined moment in the future, but right now,” he said. “With each passing day, the number of victims increases, the destruction widens and the hatred deepens. Every day without peace steals something from all of humanity.”

Mgr Murphy said the papal peace envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi would continue Vatican efforts “for the return of the children to their families, and the release of political prisoners”, emphasising that the return of children abducted from occupied territories “is an issue of justice and must not be overshadowed by political considerations”.

“The Holy See calls upon all nations gathered here to reject passivity and provide tangible support for any initiative that could lead to genuine negotiations and lasting peace,” he said.

The Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher also emphasised its concern about the war in Ukraine in an address to Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna on 4 December.

After meeting at the end of November, the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) issued a pastoral letter calling for “conscious self-sacrifice” by Ukrainians.

“True victory for Ukraine will not come from the intervention of allies or diplomatic efforts. It will come when each of us makes a sacrifice – of time, energy, abilities, conveniences, and, if necessary, life. For it is only through personal self-restraint that we will create a common resource capable of becoming an invincible force,” the letter said.

The head of the UGCC Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk asked Ukrainians to pray for their country during the Advent fast observed in the Eastern-rite Catholic Church.

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