Vatican: Pope Francis receives Zelensky, president of Ukraine

Pope Francis received the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, at the Vatican this morning, within the framework of an international tour that the Ukrainian leader is carrying out these days in Europe.

This is the third private meeting they have held since Zelensky was elected president of Ukraine, a country hit by war with Russia since February 2022.

After visiting Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, on Thursday, Zelensky arrived at the Courtyard of San Damasus of the Vatican at 9:45 am on October 11 and was then received by the Holy Father in the Apostolic Palace.

The private meeting lasted just over half an hour and although the Vatican has not offered further details, their conversation would have focused mainly on the conflict affecting the country.

Pope Francis has expressed his concern on multiple occasions about the war in “martyred Ukraine,” requesting prayers for peace and calling on the international community to intensify efforts to end the violence.

He has also urged the release of those kidnapped by the Russian army and denounced the suffering and difficulties experienced by the most vulnerable, especially children, from whom, he assures, the war has “stolen their smiles.”

Gift delivery

Pope Francis gave the president a bronze cast with the image of a flower next to a bird with the inscription “Peace is a fragile flower.”

He also presented him with this year’s Message for Peace, the volumes of papal documents, the book on World Station on March 27, 2020, and the book Persecuted by the Truth, Ukrainian Greek Catholics behind the Iron Curtain.

The Bucha massacre

For his part, Volodymyr Zelensky gave the Holy Father an oil painting depicting “The Bucha Massacre. The story of Marichka”, in which you can see an underage girl with a sad face still unable to assimilate what has just happened in her city.

This painting features Marichka, who witnessed the torture and execution of her family during the massacre that took place in the Ukrainian city of Bucha in March 2022, when Russian army soldiers murdered, raped, kidnapped and robbed hundreds of civilians. Ukrainians.

Although Russia stated that they only attacked military targets, more than 637 people were killed. The Ukrainian authorities defined it as a genocide and urged the International Criminal Court to investigate what happened.

At the end of the General Audience on April 6, Pope Francis showed and kissed a Ukrainian flag from “the martyred city of Bucha,” and later greeted refugee children.

On that occasion, the Pontiff said that “the recent news about the war in Ukraine, instead of bringing relief and hope, shows a new atrocity, like the Bucha massacre.”

Meeting with the Secretary of State

After his meeting with Pope Francis, the president of Ukraine met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of State of the Holy See, accompanied by Bishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations of the Secretariat of State.

The talks at the State Secretariat were dedicated to the state of the war and the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, as well as the ways that could end it, leading to a just and stable peace in the country.

In addition, according to the Holy See, some issues related to religious life in the country were also examined.

The last meeting between the Pontiff and Zelensky took place in May last year and their first meeting was held in February 2020.