Pope meets with head of Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine, who invites him to Kyiv

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV met Thursday astatine the Vatican with the caput of the Greek Catholic Church successful Ukraine, successful 1 of his archetypal audiences arsenic pontiff that reaffirmed his entreaty for a peaceful, negotiated end to Russia’s war.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk said helium invited Leo to sojourn Ukraine and presented the pope with a database of prisoners held by Russia. The Vatican nether Pope Francis had worked for captive exchanges, arsenic good arsenic for the instrumentality of Ukrainian children taken to unrecorded successful Russian-occupied territories.

The Vatican didn’t merchandise immoderate connection aft the audience, 1 of the archetypal backstage audiences held by Leo since his predetermination May 8.

In his archetypal Sunday noon blessing arsenic pope, and again during an assemblage with pilgrims from eastbound rite churches this week, Leo has appealed for an extremity to the warfare and expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

“I transportation successful my bosom the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people. Let everything imaginable beryllium done to execute genuine, conscionable and lasting bid arsenic soon arsenic possible. May each the prisoners beryllium freed, and whitethorn the children instrumentality to their families,” helium said Sunday.

The Vatican caput of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said it was “premature” to deliberation of a imaginable papal sojourn to Kyiv, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had besides suggested during a archetypal telephone telephone with Leo connected Monday.

The Vatican has a contented of diplomatic neutrality. Leo has vowed “every effort” to effort to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. “The Holy See is ever acceptable to assistance bring enemies together, look to face, to speech to 1 another, truthful that peoples everyplace whitethorn erstwhile much find anticipation and retrieve the dignity they deserve, the dignity of peace,” helium said connected Wednesday.

Leo is to beryllium formally installed astatine a Mass connected Sunday; Zelenskyy and U.S. Vice President JD Vance are expected to attend.

Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump successful St. Peter’s Basilica connected the sidelines of Pope Francis’ ceremonial past month.