Pope Francis told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican on Saturday that there was an urgent need for humane gestures in war-torn Ukraine.
The topics of the conversation between Pope Francis and Zelensky, in the meeting that lasted about 40 minutes, were related to “the humanitarian and political situation in Ukraine, caused by the current war,” the Vatican said in a statement.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope highlighted his “constant prayers” witnessed by the “several public appeals” he has made while “praying to the Lord for peace since February of last year.”
“Both [os líderes] They agreed on the need to continue with the humanitarian efforts to support the population,” he stressed.
Pope Francis also stressed the “urgent need for human gestures towards the most fragile people, the innocent victims of the conflict,” the Vatican spokesman said.
In turn, Zelensky expressed to the Pope his “great honor” to see him, while holding his hand next to his heart, with the pontiff thanking “the visit”, according to television images recorded at the beginning of the meeting, which has already ended. .
The Pope presented Zelensky with a bronze work of art representing an olive branch, a symbol of peace, as well as this year’s Message for Peace, the encyclical on Fraternity and Social Friendship, and a document on peace in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader, for his part, offered him a work of art made with a bulletproof vest and a painting entitled “Loss”, about the death of children during the conflict.
This is the first meeting of Pope Francis with the Ukrainian president since the start of the war, although the two already know each other, as Francis received Zelensky in audience on February 8, 2020, when they spoke about “the humanitarian situation and the search for peace” in the context of the conflict that has plagued Ukraine since 2014.
This new meeting is part of the Vatican’s peace mission, announced by the Pope on the return flight from his recent trip to Hungary, the details of which are not yet known, although a Vatican source has assured the Russian media that the meeting ” was not directly related” to him and that Zelensky requested the meeting with Francis “just a few days ago”.
In addition, the meeting takes place at a time when an imminent Ukrainian counter-offensive is expected, with which kyiv intends to recover a large part of the territory occupied by the Russian army.
For all these reasons, the meeting aroused great expectations, according to the Efe agency, since many expected it to be the starting point of difficult and complex negotiations, such as the humanitarian case.
On April 27, the Pope received Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who reiterated his invitation to visit Ukraine, a trip to which Francis always replied that he would do so when he could also go to Moscow.
Source: TSF
