Vatican expresses readiness to help in conflict settlement in Ukraine

Кардинал РКЦ Леонардо Сандри. Фото: ugcc.ua

Pope Francis is ready to contribute to the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, said Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, in an interview with the La Reppublica newspaper.

The Vatican representative says that his Congregation is not aware of a meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia and that he believes that mediation by the Holy See could in any case take place in the wake of the work of the Minsk group. At the same time, however, he affirms that Pope Francis could come into play, as he has already done to help reconciliation in other scenarios.

“In general, when people ask for help to promote peace and reconciliation, the Holy See never backs down,” Sandry said.

Earlier Vladimir Zelensky suggested holding a meeting with Putin in the Vatican, calling it "an ideal place for a dialogue about peace in the Donbass". At the same time, "Novoye Vremya", citing its own sources, reported that the Ukrainian side is considering Jerusalem and the Austrian capital Vienna for a meeting with the President of the Russian Federation.

As earlier reported, Zelensky declared spiritual unity with the Pope in the cause of peace in the Donbass.

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