In the scenario of the Russian-Ukraine war which nearly reaches half yearly, a telephone conversation between Pope Francis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took place on Friday, 12 August.
Their conversation came as part of the Pope’s oft-expressed solidarity with all the Ukrainian people.
Presidente Zelensky shared the news himself in a tweet. The two men spoke of the horrors being suffered by the Ukrainian people since Russia invaded on 24 February, and the president expressed his gratitude to the Pope for his prayers.
“Our people need the support of world spiritual leaders who should convey to the world the truth about acts of horror committed by the aggressor in Ukraine,” wrote the President.
Shortly thereafter, in a separate tweet, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, reiterated the news of the telephone conversation, adding that the “Ukrainian state and society will be happy to greet the Holy Father”, expressing hopes for a visit by Pope Francis to Kyiv.
The Pope and the President have spoken twice before by phone and video call.