By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Pope Leo XIV, on Sunday shortly after his inauguration, hosted Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican, the Ukrainian President said in a post on social media.
“For millions of people around the world, the Pontiff is a symbol of hope for peace. The authority and voice of the Holy See can play an important role in bringing this war to an end,” Zelensky said.
“We appreciate the support for Ukraine and the clear voice in defence of a just and lasting peace,” he added.
The visit was Zelensky’s first in-person meeting with the new Pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, who was elected head of the Catholic Church on 8 May following the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis, on 21 April.
During the inauguration Mass, Zelensky was accompanied by First Lady Olena Zelenska and Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak.
The event attracted 250,000 pilgrims and 156 foreign delegations, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance, who met Pope Francis shortly before his death.
A day before the event, Rubio said that the Vatican could serve as a neutral venue for future peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.
Speaking in Rome before his meeting with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Vatican’s envoy on Ukraine, Rubio noted that “both sides would be comfortable” holding talks there.
The Pope, in his first public address on 11 May, said he carried the “suffering of the beloved people of Ukraine” in his heart and called for an “authentic and lasting peace.”
Heritage Times HT had reported that Zelensky held his first phone call with Pope Leo XIV on 12 May, describing the conversation as “warm” and “substantive.”
The Pontiff was, on 18 May, presented with a list of Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia.
Before becoming Pope, Leo XIV condemned Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine while serving as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru.
In a 2022 interview, he described it as “a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power.”
