Zelensky invites Pope Leo XIV to Ukraine in their first phone call
President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Pope Leo XIV in their first phone call, Zelensky announced on May 12, calling the discussion "warm" and "substantive."
"I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people," Zelensky said, adding that the two leaders plan to hold an in-person meeting in the near future.
Ukraine's head of state said he had thanked the pontiff for his support for Ukraine and its people and discussed efforts to bring back Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
"Ukraine counts on the Vatican's assistance in bringing them home to their families," Zelensky noted. Moscow has forcibly displaced over 19,500 Ukrainian children, deporting them to Russia, Belarus, or other occupied territories.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected as head of the Catholic Church in the conclave on May 8 after the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis.
In his first Sunday address on May 11, Pope Leo XIV called for an "authentic and lasting peace" in Ukraine, adding that he carries in his heart the "suffering of the beloved people of Ukraine."
Previously, while serving as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, Leo XIV spoke out against Russia's continued war against Ukraine. In a 2022 interview with Peruvian news outlet Semanario Expresion, he condemned Russia's war against Ukraine, characterizing it as "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power."
Zelensky said he had informed the pope about Kyiv and its partners' agreement on an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and affirmed Ukraine's readiness for peace talks in any format.
"Ukraine wants to end this war and is doing everything to achieve that. We now await similar steps from Russia," the president added.
Read also: What will the new pope mean for Ukraine?
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
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