VATICAN CITY — Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of State, visited Ukraine to hold high-level meetings, meet local Catholics and represent Pope Francis at the final stop of a pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Berdychiv.
“My presence in Ukraine (is) to bring in person the closeness of the pope,” the cardinal said July 22 on the Secretariat of State’s official X account.
The cardinal met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and other government officials in Kyiv July 23 and “reiterated the pope’s closeness and commitment to find a just and lasting peace for martyred Ukraine,” the secretariat said on X.
Zelenskyy said on his official X account July 23, “We discussed the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the ongoing aerial terror, the difficult humanitarian situation, and the outcomes of our meeting with Pope Francis in June in Italy.
“We focused particularly on the decisions of the first Peace Summit and the Vatican’s role in establishing a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. I am grateful for (the) Cardinal’s support of our country and people,” the post said.
Cardinal Parolin’s visit from July 19-24 included stops in Kyiv, Odesa, Berdychiv, and Lviv. On July 23 he visited the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv, which still showed signs of Russian bombing July 8.
