(ZENIT News / Castelgandolfo, 07.09.2025).- The Holy See has sought to serve not as a mediator with its own agenda, but as a space where dialogue is still possible. That space remains open, according to the Vatican. During their conversation, Pope Leo XIV expressed his sorrow for the continuing human toll of the war and reiterated his readiness to host direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on Vatican soil.
🇻🇦🇺🇦 President Zelensky visits the Pope at Castelfandolfo
Zelensky asked for the mediation of the Holy See for the repatriation of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia, as well as the current state of the war. pic.twitter.com/9Es7R0riQG
— ZenitEnglish (@zenitenglish) July 9, 2025
Zelensky, in a post following the meeting, confirmed that the invitation for such talks remains on the table. “The proposal for leader-level meetings at the Vatican is still open,” he wrote. “Only Moscow continues to reject this initiative, as it has done with every other path toward peace.”
Describing the encounter as “enriching,” Zelensky also took the opportunity to thank the Pope for what he called “sincere and tangible support,” especially regarding Ukraine’s children. Some of the youngest victims of the war, he noted, have been hosted in Italy for rehabilitation, including children recently released from captivity in Russia. The President emphasized the deep importance of such gestures, which he said resonate across Ukrainian society.
The Pope, for his part, encouraged ongoing efforts aimed at prisoner exchanges and humanitarian coordination, including those aimed at tracing and returning minors abducted during the conflict. While political negotiations remain elusive, the Vatican continues to channel its influence through personal diplomacy, Catholic relief networks, and moral suasion.
There was also a historical note to the meeting. Zelensky brought up Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, the revered leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church during World War II. Celebrated for his role in saving Jews during the Holocaust and his defense of religious identity under brutal regimes, Sheptytsky remains a towering figure in Ukrainian memory. Zelensky expressed hope that his legacy would gain greater recognition within the Catholic Church—possibly a nod to the prospect of beatification.
He concluded by inviting Pope Leo XIV to visit Ukraine, a gesture that had also been extended to Pope Francis but remains unfulfilled due to security concerns. Whether the new pontiff will accept remains uncertain, but the symbolism of such a visit would be profound.
While the headlines of the day belong to war rooms and sanctions, the Vatican continues to speak in a quieter, older language—one that appeals not to power, but to conscience. Whether that voice can be heard amid the roar of tanks and the grind of geopolitics remains to be seen. But as this meeting shows, it has not fallen silent.
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