Pope to welcome Ukrainian president back to Vatican

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis will welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy back to the Vatican Oct. 11, four months after their last meeting, the Vatican press office announced.

The pope and the president had met in southern Italy June 14 on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit. Zelenskyy also had met with the pope at the Vatican in May 2023 and, in February 2020, before Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In a brief video clip of the pope's June meeting with Zelenskyy in southern Italy, the president could be heard telling the pope, "Thank you so much, thank you for your prayers for Ukraine, for Ukrainians, for peace in Ukraine, for Ukrainian children."

Later, on a post on X, formerly Twitter, Ukraine's president said he also thanked the pope for "his spiritual closeness to our people, and humanitarian aid for Ukrainians."

"I informed the Pope about the consequences of Russian aggression, its air terror, and the difficult energy situation. We discussed the Peace Formula, the Holy See's role in establishing a just and lasting peace, and expectations for the Global Peace Summit," the post in June said.

"I thanked the Holy See for its participation in the Summit and highlighted its efforts aimed at bringing peace closer, particularly returning Ukrainian children abducted by Russia," the president's post said.

The two leaders have spoken on the phone at least four times since Russia began its all-out war on Ukraine in February 2022. At almost every general audience and every public recitation of the Angelus since then, Pope Francis has urged people of goodwill to pray for "beleaguered" Ukraine.

Early in 2023 Pope Francis tapped Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, president of the Italian bishops' conference, to be his envoy for peace in Ukraine, promoting dialogue between Russia and Ukraine and about the war with leaders in Washington and Beijing. The cardinal particularly has been working to encourage exchanges of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners and to find a way to facilitate the return of children forcibly deported from Ukraine to Russia.