Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin has met with Ukraine’s president at the end of a six-day visit to the war-torn country, during which the Pope's top diplomatic advisor visited parts of the country hit by some of the worst fighting and the important Marian shrine of Berdychiv.
Speaking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on 23 July, the Italian cardinal emphasised his closeness to the Ukrainian people and the need to work for peace. The two men discussed the decisions of the recent Switzerland peace summit and the Holy See’s role in promoting “a just and sustainable peace” for Ukraine.
Mention was also made of the G7 summit, with Zelenskyy thanking Pope Francis “for his prayers for peace for Ukraine and calls for the return of Ukrainian prisoners home”.
Zelenskyy and Parolin also discussed in detail the consequences of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and the “constant air terror” Ukrainians live with, including the bombing of the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, and the humanitarian situation on the ground.
In a brief video published on the social media account of Zelensky’s office, the president, speaking in broken English, thanked Parolin for finding time to visit not just Kyiv, “but you’ve been to some of our cities, saw people, and I think it’s a good signal from the Vatican. Thank you for this support.”
Parolin in his own remarks thanked Zelensky for receiving him and recalled a previous visit he made to Ukraine in 2021 for the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
<strong>“</strong>[This has been] a really important visit I think, as an expression of the closeness and proximity of the Holy Father to Ukraine,” Parolin said, and recalled statements Pope Francis has made on Ukraine and its ongoing war with Russia.
“You know what are the feelings and which are the attitude of the Holy Father toward your country, especially on the issue of the war, the war going on in Ukraine, but I think that it was also important to be present here and to pay a visit,” he said.
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Parolin also spoke about how he had celebrated Mass for the conclusion of the annual pilgrimage to the famed Marian shrine of Berdychiv, the largest Catholic Shrine of Latin rite in Ukraine. <br><br>He described his visit to Berdychiv, during which he venerated the icon of the Mother of God and told Ukrainians to never lose faith or hope for peace, as “a very, very moving experience, so many people even though the number of people was reduced because of the war, but so many people prayed for peace".
The meeting in Kyiv came at the end of <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/top-vatican-diplomat-makes-first-visit-to-ukraine-since-war/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">the 19-24 July trip to Ukraine that marked Parolin’s first official visit to the country</mark></a> since Russia’s invasion of the country on 24 February 2022.
Parolin visited the Greek Catholic cathedral of Kyiv and met with Greek Ukrainian Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk. He also visited the paediatric Okhmatdyt hospital in Kyiv that was recently bombed, and was given a tour of the hospital wings that have been reopened, during which the cardinal spoke with the young patients and their parents there. <br><br><strong>RELATED: <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/ukraines-catholic-patriarch-denounces-russian-rocket-strike-on-childrens-hospital/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Ukraine’s patriarch denounces Russian rocket strike on children’s hospital</mark></a></strong>
Parolin also met with the Head of Ukrainian Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk and representatives of the Parliamentary Group of friendship between Ukraine and the Holy See, and with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
During his visit, Parolin also met with the Latin bishops of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lviv, and he also travelled to the southern port city of Odesa, located just off the Black Sea, making it a key strategic city for both sides in the war.
Given its location, Odesa has been a prime target of Russian shelling and airstrikes. The city came under heavy Russian assaults in the earlier stage of the war and is still a target of regular attacks, with Russia in recent weeks resuming drone and missile attacks in the area.
After the meeting with Zelensky, Parolin was then given the Order of Merit award for his “outstanding personal contribution” through his role in developing bilateral relations between the Holy See and Ukraine, and for his support of Ukraine amid the war with Russia.
In a July 23 post on social media platform <em>X</em>, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, said Parolin’s meeting with Zelenskyy was “just the next step in development of very positive and fruitful cooperation between Ukraine and Apostolic Capital” of the Vatican.
The Vatican did not release a statement following Parolin’s meeting with Zelenskyy. A post from the Secretariat of State’s account on <em>X</em> stated that Parolin during the conversation with the Ukrainian president “reiterated the Pope’s closeness and commitment to finding a just and lasting peace for martyred Ukraine”.
<strong>RELATED: <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/encountering-the-beauty-of-god-beside-the-wickedness-of-war-in-ukraine/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Encountering the beauty of God beside the wickedness of war in Ukraine</mark></a></strong><br><br><em>Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vatican Secretary of State Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin meet at the presidential palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 July 2024. (Credit: Ukraine President’s Office, via Crux.)</em>
