Pope meets Ukrainian president at Castel Gandolfo

By CathNews New Zealand

July 11th, 2025

Pope Leo XIV meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, on July 9, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope Leo XIV has spoken with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and reaffirmed that Russian and Ukrainian representatives can meet at the Vatican to negotiate for peace. Source: Catholic News Agency.

The Pope took time out from his summer vacation in Castel Gandolfo to have a private audience with the President on July 9. According to an official statement from the Holy See, the two leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and “the urgency of pursuing just and lasting paths of peace”.

During the meeting, held behind closed doors, the importance of dialogue was reiterated “as the best avenue for ending hostilities”.

The Pope expressed his profound sorrow for the victims of the Russia-Ukraine war and renewed his spiritual closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging all efforts aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions. Leo XIV also reaffirmed the Holy See’s willingness to receive representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican with a view to possible peace negotiations. The audience lasted approximately 30 minutes.

Mr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude on X (formerly Twitter) for the meeting and for “a very substantive conversation” with the Holy Father. “We value all the support and every prayer for peace in Ukraine,” he added.

Regarding the proposal for meetings between leaders from both sides of the conflict to be held at the Vatican, he confirmed that “it remains open and entirely possible, with the goal of stopping Russian aggression and achieving a stable, lasting and genuine peace”.

However, he lamented that, currently, “only Moscow continues to reject this proposal, as it has turned down all other peace initiatives”.

“We will continue to strengthen global solidarity so that diplomacy can still succeed,” he added.

Mr Zelenskyy said that he especially thanked Pope Leo for his support for Ukrainian children, “particularly those returned from Russian captivity”.

His visit to Rome is part of the Fourth International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine, to be held in the Italian capital on July 10–11.

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Pope Leo XIV receives Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Castel Gandolfo (By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú/Catholic News Agency)