Pope Leo XIV receives President of the Republic of Poland
Pope Leo XIV greets President Andrzej Duda of Poland (@Vatican Media)
VATICAN: Pope Leo XIV on July 3, Thursday morning received in audience, at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, the outgoing President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda.
Duda's presidency officially ends in August 2025. First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2020, Polish law prohibits serving more than two consecutive presidential terms. The president-elect, Karol Nawrocki, who won the recent election, is scheduled to take the oath of office on August 6.
According to a statement by the Holy See Press Office, President Duda subsequently met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, who was accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations.
'During the cordial discussions at the Secretariat of State, both parties expressed their mutual appreciation for the strong bilateral relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Poland. The conversation also offered an opportunity to exchange views on the country's current socio-political situation,' the statement said.
The statement added that 'The meeting continued with a focus on international matters, with particular attention given to the ongoing war in Ukraine.'--Vatican News
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
15 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Gaza war 'barbarity' must stop now: Pope
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy: Pope Leo XIV slammed the "barbarity" of the war in Gaza on Sunday and urged against the "indiscriminate use of force", just days after a deadly strike by Israel's military on a Catholic church. "I once again ask for an immediate end to the barbarity of the war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict," Leo said at the end of the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence near Rome. The pope, who spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the morning after Thursday's strike, spoke of his "deep sorrow" for the attack on the Holy Family Church. The church was sheltering around 600 displaced people, the majority of them children and including dozens of people with special needs. Israel expressed "deep sorrow" over the damage and civilian casualties, adding that the military was investigating the strike. "This act, unfortunately, adds to the ongoing military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza," Leo said on Sunday. "I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations," he added. The Israeli military on Sunday issued an evacuation order for Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip, warning of imminent action against Hamas fighters. Most of Gaza's population of more than two million people have been displaced at least once during the war, which is now in its 22nd month. The pope also expressed his "sympathy" for the plight of "beloved Middle Eastern Christians" and their "sense of being able to do little in the face of this dramatic situation."--AFP
Herald Malaysia
2 days ago
- Herald Malaysia
Pope Leo calls for ceasefire in Gaza during phone call with Israeli PM Netanyahu
In the wake of the Israeli strike on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, Pope Leo XIV and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak by phone, with the Pope reaffirming the urgent need to protect places of worship and achieve a ceasefire. Jul 19, 2025 A view of the damage to the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza By Deborah Castellano LubovAmid the ongoing turmoil in the Holy Land, Pope Leo XIV and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone on Friday. The Holy Father renewed his appeal for negotiations and a ceasefire in Gaza, according to the Holy See Press Office. "Friday morning, in his residence at Castel Gandolfo, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV spoke by telephone with His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, following yesterday's military attack by the Israeli army that struck the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza, killing three people and injuring others, including some seriously," said the Press Office in a statement. "During the conversation," it noted, "the Holy Father repeated his appeal for a renewed push for negotiations, a ceasefire and an end to the war." Moreover, it added, Pope Leo "again expressed his concern about the tragic humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, whose children, elderly, and sick are paying an agonizing price." "Finally," the statement concluded, "the Holy Father reiterated the urgent need to protect places of worship and, especially, the faithful and all people in Palestine and Israel." The Holy Family Church, the only Catholic Church in Gaza, was struck by Israel on Thursday morning, resulting in three deaths and 10 injuries, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli. In a statement, the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem appealed to leaders "to raise their voices and to do all that is necessary in order to stop this tragedy, which is humanly and morally unjustified."--Vatican News
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
Ukraine's drones slowing Russian advance
"DRONES, drones, drones. Only drones. A lot of drones." A weary Ukrainian platoon commander speaks to the transformed nature of modern warfare as he's medically evacuated from the front lines. Kamikaze drones. Surveillance drones. Bomber drones. Drones that kill other drones. They swarm the skies in vast numbers. They're cheap, they're deadly and they're among the main reasons Ukraine believes that it can hold out against advancing Russian forces this year and even beyond, according to a dozen Ukrainian commanders, officials and arms manufacturers involved in Kyiv's defence. Ukrainian soldiers describe the drone-infested corridor covering about 10km either side of the line of contact as the "kill zone" because remotely piloted unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) deployed by both sides can swiftly spot and neutralise targets. The war's evolution into the most drone-intensive conflict ever seen has eaten away at Russia's ability to exploit its traditional advantages in troop numbers, artillery and tanks, according to two Ukrainian battlefield commanders interviewed. Russia had consequently adapted its tactics, the Ukrainian battlefield commanders said; its forces now typically attack in small groups of five or six — on foot or on motorbikes or quad bikes — in an attempt expose Ukrainian positions by drawing their fire and then launching drone strikes at them, they added. Despite the changes in warfare, Russian forces retain the ascendancy and are making slow but steady advances in the east and north of Ukraine. Russia has also caught up in UAV technology after falling behind early in the war, according to military analysts. The people interviewed for this article believed that Ukraine could fight on and resist Russia even if no more US aid was forthcoming, though they didn't give precise timelines. Many cited the primacy of drones as having levelled the field to some degree and made Ukraine more self-sufficient, and also pointed to growing military supplies from European allies. "We can hold out for months," said Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's arms expert and strategic adviser, when asked about what would happen if US weapons supplies ceased. "In 2023 or 2024, it would have been a lot worse — we would be talking about days or weeks." Polish military analyst Konrad Muzyka said Ukraine's focus was to sap the strength of Russian attacks. He said Ukraine would likely struggle in a long war of attrition due to its manpower shortages and Russia's superior resources. "Drones can fill in the gaps to some extent and give you some breathing space, but they are not a substitute for artillery." Drones are demons, at least for those in the kill zone that straddles the 1,000km line of contact. Reconnaissance UAVs from both sides — resembling shrunken airplanes, made of plastic or styrofoam and equipped with sophisticated cameras — can spot enemies from several kilometres away. They hover over the front lines, relaying back what they see in real time. They find targets for the fleets of bomber drones — often hexacopters the size of coffee tables that can drop precision grenades with 3D-printed tailfins — as well as kamikaze drones, some with RPG warheads strapped on to pierce armour, which can fly into soldiers, tanks and weapons systems. The platoon commander being evacuated from the front, a 35-year-old called Ivan who goes by the call sign "Atom", said soldiers on both sides now saw UAVs as the biggest threat to their lives. According to internal Ukrainian estimates seen by Reuters, drones accounted for 69 per cent of strikes on Russian troops and 75 per cent of strikes on vehicles and equipment in 2024. The wartime UAV arms race has spawned many innovations; both sides are deploying short-range, fibre-optic drones that cannot be electronically jammed, as well as "interceptors" that hunt down and destroy enemy reconnaissance and attack drones. The average cost of a long-range strike drone ranges from US$50,000 to US$300,000, about 10 times less than a missile of similar range. "This is our asymmetrical answer," he said, adding that Ukraine started developing such drones "precisely because we lack missiles". Kamyshin, Zelenskyy's adviser, added: "You can't win a big war if you are only defending. Long-range drone strikes are one of the main cards Ukraine can play against Russia right now."
