2023-04-27 13:59:00
April 27, 2023 / 6:59 a.m.
Pope Francis received the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, in audience this Thursday, April 27, one day before his apostolic visit to Hungary, where he will be closer to the conflict that is shaking the heart of Europe.
As reported by the Holy See Press Office, the private audience with the Pope took place in the Library Room of the Vatican Apostolic Palace and lasted 30 minutes.
In the traditional exchange of gifts, the Holy Father presented the Ukrainian premier with a bronze bas-relief of a blooming flower with the inscription “Peace is a fragile flower.”
In addition, the Pope gave him some documents from his Magisterium, the book “Un’enciclica sulla pace in Ucraina” (An encyclical on peace in Ukraine) and the book on the World Station of 27 March 2020.
For his part, the Ukrainian Prime Minister presented the Holy Father with a ceramic jug depicting a rooster, which survived a bombing raid near Kiev, and ears of wheat from Ukraine, as well as a photo book about the ongoing war and the resistance of his people.
Later, a Vatican statement reported that after the meeting with the Pontiff, Denys Shmyhal met with the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and with the Secretary for Relations with States, Msgr. Paul Richard Gallagher.
The official statement indicates that during the talks held at the State Secretariat, issues related “to the war in Ukraine, paying special attention to the humanitarian aspect and efforts to restore peace” were highlighted.
“In the same context, various issues related to the life and activity of the Churches in the country were also discussed,” concludes the statement from the Holy See.
This is the second meeting in the Vatican between the Pontiff and the Kiev prime minister after the audience on March 25, 2021, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine was yet to take place.
Pope Francis has made various calls to those in authority over nations to make a concrete commitment to end the conflict in Ukraine; argument that will also be at the center of the Pope’s apostolic trip to Budapest (from April 28 to 30) and the dialogue with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The Pope will meet some of the 35,000 Ukrainian refugees who remain in Hungary after more than 2 million people fled across the country’s eastern borders at the start of the Russian invasion. Francis has already expressed his appreciation for Hungary’s welcome to Ukrainian refugees.
This is the trip that brings Pope Francis closer to the conflict in Ukraine. “We will be just a few kilometers from the border with Ukraine,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters this week. “Of course we can expect words about the pain (from Pope Francis) for this conflict and the search for peace.”
The papal itinerary includes a stop at a Greek Catholic church that has served refugees. The Greek Catholic Church is one of the Eastern Catholic congregations that recognize the authority of the Pope.
At the end of the prayer Queen of Heaven on Sunday, April 23, the Pontiff entrusted his 40th apostolic journey to the prayers of the faithful.
“It will be an opportunity to once again embrace a Church and a people very dear to me. It will also be a trip to the center of Europe, through which the frigid winds of war continue to blow, while the movements of so many people bring urgent humanitarian questions to the table,” he said.
“Let us not forget our Ukrainian brothers and sisters still affected by this war,” added the Holy Father, who has expressed his support for the people of Ukraine on several occasions after the Russian invasion.
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