2023-05-13 19:01:00
May 13, 2023 / 12:01 p.m
On Saturday May 13, at the Vatican, Pope Francis received the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, during a stop in Rome on his trip abroad.
The private audience between the Pope and the Ukrainian president lasted 40 minutes, indicating the concern and attention of the Holy Father towards “the martyred people of Ukraine.” “Thank you for this visit,” said the Pontiff, welcoming him in the Paul VI Hall. .
During the exchange of gifts, the Holy Father presented the president with a bronze work representing an olive branch, a symbol of peace, as well as this year’s message for Peace, the document on human fraternity, the book on Statio Orbis of March 27, 2020 and the book “An encyclical on peace in Ukraine”.
For his part, President Zelensky presented Pope Francis with a work of art made with a bulletproof plate, which represents a Marian image, and a painting entitled “Loss”, which represents the killing of children during the conflict and the pain of absence. of children for the nation.
The Pontiff spoke about a mediation in favor of the Ukrainian children deported in Russia on their return flight from Budapest to Rome. In the 13 months of war and in the more than 130 calls for peace, the Pope has reiterated that he is close to the Ukrainians with his prayer: “Their pain is my pain.”
The topics of the conversation revolved around the humanitarian and political situation in Ukraine caused by the ongoing war, according to the Holy See Press Office. “The Pontiff promised his constant prayers, evidenced by his numerous public appeals and his continuous invocation to the Lord for peace since February of last year,” when the war began.
“Both leaders agreed on the need to continue humanitarian efforts to support the population. The Pope placed particular emphasis on the urgent need for ‘gestures of humanity’ towards the most fragile people, the innocent victims of the conflict,” the document reads. official statement.
In a meeting with diplomats before his meeting with President Zelensky, the Pope also expressed the “neutrality” of the Holy See that can help resolve conflicts and wars.
This private hearing marked the second in-person meeting since the 2020 hearing and the first since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. In recent months, there have been phone calls and contacts through diplomatic channels. The Pope used a cane to walk and waited at the door for his guest to accompany him to his office.
The audience took place in the afternoon, 4:10 p.m., in the Vatican, and was part of a trip by the Ukrainian president to Rome, where he also met with the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and with the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.
It should be remembered that at the Angelus on October 3, 2022, the Pope, leaving catechism aside, read an appeal deploring the escalation of violence and addressed the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky directly, putting in his hands a plea: to the president of the Russian Federation “to stop, also out of love for his people, this spiral of violence and death”; to the president of Ukraine “to open up to serious peace proposals”.
Francis never stopped making calls for peace, stating that he was “willing to do whatever is necessary.”
Today’s private meeting marked a further step in the Holy See’s diplomacy, as the Pope, at the end of his 41st apostolic journey, stated that a peace mission was “underway” for Ukraine.
Subsequently, officials from Moscow and kyiv had responded to these words by saying that they were unaware of this Vatican initiative. Therefore, today’s “face to face” meeting between the Pope and the Ukrainian president could make clear this desire for mediation by the Pontiff and the Holy See to put an end to the conflict that is shaking Europe.
????Pope Francis and President Zelensky met for the second time since 2020 to discuss the conflict in Ukraine. The Pope prayed for peace and stressed the need to continue humanitarian efforts to support the victims of war. pic.twitter.com/Pt4z5UhX8V
— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVaticano) May 13, 2023
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