Zelensky Meets With Pope Leo After Inaugural Mass

New York Times

18-05-2025

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine attended Pope Leo XIV's inaugural Mass on Sunday and met later with the new pontiff in private, days after Leo expressed a personal desire to help end the war with Russia.
The meeting took place after the newly elected pope offered on Friday to host talks between Ukraine and Russia at the Vatican and said he would make every effort so that peace could prevail.
'The Holy See is always ready to help bring enemies together, face to face, to talk to one another,' Leo added. The pope's secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said the offer was 'the availability of a space' and called the Vatican an 'appropriate place' for peace talks.
In the service at St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday, Leo spoke forcefully about people suffering because of wars around the world.
'Martyred Ukraine awaits negotiations for a just and lasting peace,' Leo said at the end of the service, echoing language used by his predecessor, Pope Francis.
Mr. Zelensky thanked the pope for his 'special words,' saying in a social media post that 'every nation deserves to live in peace and security.' After meeting with Leo, he also thanked the Vatican 'for its willingness to serve as a platform for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.'
'The Holy See can play an important role in ending the war because of its voice and authority,' he wrote on social media.
The U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said the Vatican could be a venue for Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations, but neither Russia nor Ukraine have indicated whether they would take the pope up on his offer.
On Sunday, Mr. Rubio attended the inaugural Mass, as did Vice President JD Vance. Mr. Zelensky shook hands with Mr. Vance as he arrived.
It was the second time Mr. Zelensky visited the Holy See in recent weeks. When he attended the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26, Mr. Zelensky met privately with President Trump, which yielded a striking image of the two men facing each other on metal chairs in an ornate hall. It was the first time they had met since the February sit-down in the Oval Office in February, in which Mr. Trump castigated the Ukrainian leader.
It was unclear whether any informal meetings on Ukraine would take place after the Mass.
Friedrich Merz, Germany's new chancellor, told reporters in Rome on Sunday that he had spoken with Mr. Rubio about Mr. Trump's upcoming phone call with Mr. Putin. Speaking with reporters after the service had concluded, Mr. Merz said that he and the leaders of France and the United Kingdom were planning to try to speak to Mr. Trump before that phone call.
'My strong impression is that both Europeans and Americans are determined to work together, but now also in a focused manner, to ensure that this terrible war ends soon,' Mr. Merz said.
On Saturday, Mr. Zelensky said that he had met with Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada and President Karin Keller-Sutter of Switzerland separately in Rome to discuss how to increase pressure on Russia to end the war.
The search for peace in Ukraine has gathered pace in recent weeks. Delegations from the two sides held their first direct talks in Turkey on Friday and later agreed on a prisoner exchange.
Pope Francis, who died on April 21, regularly called for peace in Ukraine.
Since his election, Leo has signaled a deep interest in ending the war. Last week, he used his first Sunday address to call for an 'authentic, just and lasting peace' in Ukraine and for all prisoners of war to be freed. He added that children should be returned to their families. Although he did not specify which children, many Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia against the wishes of their families since the war began.