The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has extended his gratitude to Russia for releasing two Ukrainian priests, Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta, who were detained since November 2022. The priests, members of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, were accused of “subversive” and “guerilla” activities and allegedly possessing weapons and Ukrainian history books in their parish building.
During a video conference with Tatiana Moskalkova, Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Cardinal Parolin thanked her for her role in securing the priests’ release. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church also expressed his deep gratitude to the Holy See, specifically to Pope Francis, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, and Apostolic Nuncio Visvaldas Kulbokas.
The Vatican is now calling for respect for the human rights of military prisoners of war and encouraging the reciprocal exchange of soldiers. Cardinal Parolin emphasized the need to safeguard fundamental human rights enshrined in international conventions, particularly assistance to Ukrainian servicemen imprisoned in Russia and the exchange of detained soldiers.