Lenten Campaign 2025
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President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine sent his wishes for a “speedy recovery” to Pope Francis in a telephone conversation with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on March 14, 2025. This was announced in a statement published on the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian president. The Holy See did not comment.
The head of state also stated that he had sent the Holy See a list of Ukrainians detained in Russian prisons and camps, stating that he was counting on the “moral support” of the Catholic Church to secure their release.
“The voice of the Holy See is very important on the path to peace,” the Ukrainian president added in his message, published after the telephone discussion. The Holy See has not yet made any statement in this regard.
That morning, Cardinal Parolin celebrated a Mass for Pope Francis in the presence of several ambassadors to the Holy See, including those of Russia and Ukraine.
Contacted by I.MEDIA, the Ukrainian ambassador, Andrii Yurash, confirmed that the call took place. He further emphasized the importance that Ukraine attaches to the voice of the Pope, “one of the greatest moral and spiritual authorities in the world.”
He noted hopes that the Vatican can exert “moral pressure on the ongoing discussions,” for the good “not only of Ukraine, but of all democratic countries.”
“This would be a great help in our goal of achieving a just peace,” he continues.
The Holy See's efforts for Ukraine
“I wished Pope Francis a speedy recovery and thanked him for his prayers and moral support for our people, as well as for his help in returning Ukrainian children deported to Russia,” President Zelensky wrote in his statement.
He also announced that he had sent Cardinal Parolin a “list of Ukrainian men and women detained in Russian prisons and camps,” without specifying the number of people on the list.
Since 2023, the Holy See, represented by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, as the Pope's special envoy, has been conducting a humanitarian mission in an attempt to promote the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine. Supported by the Vatican Secretariat of State, Cardinal Zuppi, the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, is also trying to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children currently in Russian territory.
According to the Ukrainian ambassador Andrii Yurash, it is difficult to quantify the influence that the Holy See may have had on the release of Ukrainians, as the lists of prisoners have “passed through several intermediaries.”
Nevertheless, he praises the concrete attempts of the Holy See to secure their release, believing that it is behind a “significant number” of exchanges and releases of Ukrainians.
