Ukraine’s Zelensky again visits Pope Leo

As in July, the Ukrainian President met Pope Leo XIV at his residence in Castel Gandolfo, south-east of Rome. At that meeting, the two men were photographed on the balcony of the Villa Barberini, where the pontiff stays.

"During the cordial meeting, which focused on the war in Ukraine, the Holy Father reaffirmed the need to continue dialogue and renewed his urgent hope that the diplomatic initiatives currently underway will lead to a just and lasting peace," said a statement from the Holy See.

Last week, on his flight back from his trip to Lebanon, Leo XIV commented on Donald Trump's peace plan, and highlighted a possible role for Italy in achieving peace.

On that occasion, he said:

In the statement released this morning about the meeting, the Holy See said that reference was made "to the issue of prisoners of war and the need to ensure the return of Ukrainian children to their families."

This morning's meeting was the third between the two men. On July 9, the Pope had already received Volodymyr Zelensky at his residence in Castel Gandolfo, where he was spending his holidays. The head of the Catholic Church reiterated the Holy See's availability to welcome representatives from Russia and Ukraine "for negotiations."

He once again encouraged the release of prisoners and "the search for common solutions." President Zelensky also attended the installation mass of the new Pope on May 18. On that occasion, he met Leo XIV privately for the first time and afterward had an impromptu sit-down with Donald Trump at the Vatican.

In May, Trump supported the idea of mediation at the Vatican to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov considered it "unrealistic" to organise a peace summit between two "Orthodox countries" on "Catholic soil."

In the Vatican, too, some experts do not hesitate to admit that this hypothesis "is not very realistic."

Before Leo XIV, Volodymyr Zelensky met Pope Francis on several occasions. At times, the Argentine pope's statements were criticized in Ukraine, which sometimes perceived Francis as being too open to Russia's side. In particular, at one point, Francis spoke of those who have the courage to raise "the white flag."

However, the Argentine pontiff's appointment of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi as special representative to negotiate prisoner releases in the spring of 2023 was welcomed by Kiev, despite mixed results in his efforts to work with Russia.