Pope Francis, the leader of the Vatican, met with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, May 13.
This encounter, which took place during a time of war, was unusual for a pontiff and a head of state.
Zelenskyy paid a visit to the Vatican two weeks after the pope told reporters that he is working on a covert mission to stop Russia’s conflict against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has frequently pleaded with the pope to visit the country that has been devastated by violence since the conflict began on February 24, 2022.
The pope has stated that he will visit Kiev but only if he is allowed to visit Moscow as well to make a peace appeal.
As he arrived at the Vatican, Zelenskyy was welcomed by the Pope at the Vatican’s Pope Paul VI Hall rather than the Apostolic Palace, which is typically used for meetings with heads of state.
The pope addressed Zelenskyy in Italian, saying, “Thank you for this visit.” Zelenskyy answered, “A great honour,” putting his palm over his heart as he spoke in English.
40 minutes was spent in private conversation between the pope and the president, during which Zelenskyy presented the pope with a plate with bullet holes and a poster titled “Loss.” The picture served as a monument for children who lost their lives in the early stages of the battle.
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Zelenskyy stated in a tweet that he encouraged Pope Francis to denounce Russian war crimes, stating that “there can be no equality between the victim and the aggressor.”
He said that he has enlisted the Vatican’s support for the Ukrainian peace plan, which calls for the departure of Russian troops from the nation, the restoration of all of Ukraine’s sovereign territory, Russian war reparations, and assurances of postwar security for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has been to the Vatican twice since he was elected president of Ukraine in 2019. He last came on February 8, 2020, soon before the COVID-19 epidemic started.
