By Vatican News
The institutional meetings held in recent days by Cardinal Pietro Parolin with Ukrainian leaders culminated on Tuesday morning in Kyiv with the meeting between the Cardinal Secretary of State and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Following the meeting, in a post on X, the Secretariat of State announced that the Cardinal reaffirmed “the Pope’s solidarity and the commitment to finding a just and lasting peace for war-torn Ukraine.”
Zelensky had already received a papal envoy in June last year. Pope Francis had asked the Cardinal of Bologna and head of the Italian bishops, Matteo Zuppi, to visit the war-torn nation and meet with the Ukrainian President.
Over the years, Zelensky has had several opportunities to speak with the Pope. The last occasion was on June 14, 2024, on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in southern Italy. Prior to that, on December 28, 2023, Zelensky reported on his X account about a phone conversation he had with Pope Francis for Christmas greetings. On that occasion, he wrote, the emphasis was on a “just peace for all of us” and the Vatican’s appreciation for the presidential peace plan.
Previous talks with Pope Francis
The Pope had previously received the Ukrainian President at the Vatican on May 13 of the same year, their second in-person meeting after their first in 2020, and the first since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Two days after the conflict broke out, on February 26, 2022, Pope Francis – as Zelensky reported on Twitter – expressed profound sorrow for what was happening. In turn, the President stated that the Ukrainian people felt the spiritual support of the Pope.
Another phone conversation took place on March 22, 2022. On that occasion, on Twitter, Zelensky said he had briefed the Pope on “the difficult humanitarian situation and the blocking of humanitarian corridors by Russian forces,” and welcomed “the Holy See’s mediation role in ending human suffering.”
Then, another call occurred on August 12, 2022. Again on Twitter, the Ukrainian President said that the conversation focused on the horrors experienced by the population due to the Russian invasion. Zelensky expressed gratitude to the Pope for his prayers and expressed hopes for a papal visit.
Order of Merit
During Tuesday’s meeting between Cardinal Parolin and President Zelensky, the latter awarded the papal envoy with the Order of Merit. In a post on X following the meeting, the Ukrainian President said the award is in recognition of the Cardinal’s “exceptional role in the development of bilateral relations” and his “support during the terrible period of aggression.”
