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2w ago

Pope Leo XIV Reaffirms Support for Ukraine in Meeting with UGCC Leader

In one of his first private audiences, the newly elected pontiff expressed solidarity with Ukraine, discussed humanitarian efforts, and received an invitation to visit Kyiv.

Pope Leo XIV appears on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican to bless the crowd below on May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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Overview

  • Pope Leo XIV met with His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, at the Vatican on May 15, 2025.
  • Patriarch Sviatoslav formally invited the pope to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine, though Vatican officials called such a trip premature.
  • During the meeting, the UGCC leader provided Pope Leo XIV with lists of Ukrainians held in Russian captivity and urged continued efforts for their release.
  • The pope reiterated the Holy See’s commitment to mediating peace in the Russia–Ukraine war and called for the return of deported Ukrainian children.
  • Patriarch Sviatoslav presented the pope with a symbolic painting by Bohdan Pylypiv, honoring the suffering of the Ukrainian people during the conflict.