Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy greets Pope Leo XIV during a meeting at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo Dec. 9, 2025. Credit: CNS photo/Vatican Media
Pope Leo and President Volodymyr Zelensky met at a particularly delicate moment in the international effort to arrive at a peace plan that can be accepted by both Ukraine and Russia.
Pope Leo XIV and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky “focused on the war in Ukraine” when they met at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo this morning, Dec. 9, the Vatican said.
“The Holy Father reiterated the need for the continuation of dialogue and expressed his urgent desire that the current diplomatic initiatives bring about a just and lasting peace,” the Vatican said in a statement issued afterward.
They also discussed “the questions of prisoners of war and the need to assure the return of Ukrainian children to their families,” the statement added.
President Zelensky also issued a statement on X after his meeting, expressing appreciation for “all the support” of Pope Leo and the Holy See in the humanitarian field. He said he informed the pope about the diplomatic efforts with the United States to achieve peace and revealed that he again invited Pope Leo to visit Ukraine. “During today’s audience with His Holiness, I thanked him for his constant prayers for Ukraine and for the Ukrainian people, as well as for his calls for a just peace,” he wrote.
