This Is What Zelensky Requested the Pontiff: The Ukrainian leader stressed the national anguish over the people seized and deported.
Vatican, Oct. 11 (Zenit).– In a meeting charged with symbolism and hope, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky had a private audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican.
The central issue resounded profoundly: the return of Ukrainians detained in Russia. “The return of our people from prison was the focus of my conversation with the Holy Father. We rely on the assistance of the Holy See to bring back Ukrainians who have been captured by Russia,” said Zelensky on his social networks, highlighting the importance of his conversation with the Pontiff
The Ukrainian leader stressed the national anguish over the people seized and deported. “For all of us in Ukraine, the issue of kidnapped adults and children is painful. Many civilians are in Russian prisons and camps,” he specified. His message became even more somber when recalling the recent death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who lost her life while in captivity in Russia. The tragic news is not only a devastating blow for journalists but also for human rights defenders and freedom of the press in Ukraine.
A Meeting in Quest of Peace
The meeting, which lasted 35 minutes, was held in the Vatican’s Library on Friday, October 11. It was the third between Pope Francis and Zelensky after the meetings in 2020 and 2023.
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