Pope Leo XIV to meet Zelenskyy at Vatican Sunday, recalls 'martyred Ukraine'

Pope Leo XIV
is set to hold his first private meeting with Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
on Sunday, shortly after his installation mass, according to Vatican officials.
"The martyred Ukraine is waiting for negotiations for a just and lasting peace to finally happen," the pontiff stated prior to the scheduled meeting.
The Ukrainian President joined other global dignitaries, including royalty, political figures and religious leaders, at the ceremonial mass marking the commencement of Leo's papal tenure.
During the ceremony in St Peter's Square, Zelenskyy exchanged greetings with US Vice President JD Vance.
Following the mass, during his Regina Coeli prayer, Leo addressed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, noting that "in Gaza, children, families and elderly survivors are reduced to hunger".
He also highlighted the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, stating that "in Myanmar, new hostilities have destroyed innocent young lives".
Ten days after Robert Francis Prevost was elected pope, his papacy officially began with a ceremony at St. Peter's Square.
During the inauguration Mass of his pontificate at St Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV received the Ring of the Fisherman—also known as the Piscatory Ring—from Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation. The ceremony included several traditional customs and symbols marking the formal start of his papacy.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Indian Express

an hour ago

• Indian Express

Massive Russian drone, missile attack kills 5 in Kyiv, sparks fire, Ukraine says

Russian drone and missile attacks in and around the capital city of Ukraine, Kyiv, have killed at least five people and injured close to a dozen as the Russian air attack sparked fire in residential areas and a metro station entrance was damaged which serves as a bomb shelter, Ukrainian officials said on Monday. According to Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, 'The Russians' style is unchanged – to hit where there may be people. Residential buildings, exits from shelters – this is the Russian style.' Russia has yet to comment on the attacks in Kyiv. Both Russia and Ukraine have denied in the past targeting civilians in the war which began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict and a vast majority of them are Ukrainians. Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district, which usually keeps busy, saw the death of at least four civilians after the entire entrance of a residential high-rise building was destroyed, Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed the development on Telegram. 'There are still people under the rubble,' the minister added. Six of Kyiv's 10 districts suffered damage in the barrage of aerial attacks launched by the Kremlin forces, including several apartments and about 10 people were injured in the strikes, Minister Klymenko said. In the broader Kyiv region that surrounds the Ukrainian capital, a 68-year-old woman was killed and at least eight people were wounded in the missile and drone attack carried out by Moscow, confirmed the region's Governor Mykola Kalashnik on Telegram, Reuters reported. Ukraine's State Emergency Service posted photos which showed rescuers leading people to safety from buildings and structures on fire. The Service added that a pregnant woman was also rescued. Ukraine's officials said that exit to the metro station in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi district was also damaged in heavy firing by Russian missiles.

New Indian Express

an hour ago

• New Indian Express

'Massive' Russian attack on Kyiv kills at least five: Ukraine

KYIV: Ukraine said Monday that "another massive attack" on the capital Kyiv killed at least five people, a day after the country's top military commander vowed to intensify strikes on Russia. Diplomatic efforts to end the three-year war have stalled, with the last direct meeting between the two sides almost three weeks ago and no follow-up talks scheduled. AFP journalists in Kyiv heard the buzzing of a drone flying over the city centre and explosions, as well as gunfire. "Another massive attack on the capital. Possibly, several waves of enemy drones," said a statement from Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration. Four people were killed in Shevchenkivsky district, where part of a residential high-rise building was destroyed, and another person was killed to the south in Bila Tserkva, said Interior Minister Igor Klymenko. AFP journalists saw around 10 people sheltering in the basement of a residential building in the centre of the capital waiting for the attack to end, most of them scrolling their phones for news. The latest strikes came after Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky vowed to intensify strikes on Russia. "We will not just sit in defence because this brings nothing and eventually leads to the fact that we still retreat, lose people and territories," he told reporters, including AFP. Syrsky said Ukraine would continue its strikes on Russian military targets, which he said had proved "effective". "Of course we will continue. We will increase the scale and depth," he said.

Time of India

2 hours ago

• Time of India

Russia's attack on Kyiv kills five, sparks fires, Ukraine says

Russian drone and missile attacks in and around Kyiv overnight killed five people, injured scores, sparked fires in residential areas and damaged an entrance to a metro station that serves as a bomb shelter, Ukrainian officials said on Monday. "The Russians' style is unchanged - to hit where there may be people," Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app. "Residential buildings, exits from shelters - this is the Russian style." Russia has not commented on the strikes. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched in February 2022, but thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict - the vast majority of them Ukrainian. At least four people were killed in Kyiv's busy Shevchenkivskyi district where the entire entrance of a residential high-rise building was destroyed, Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Semua yang Perlu Anda Ketahui Tentang Limfoma Limfoma Pelajari "There are still people under the rubble," Klymenko said. The attack caused damage in six of the city's 10 districts, including in several apartment buildings, and wounded at least 10 people, Klymenko said. Live Events A 68-year-old woman was killed and at least eight people were injured in the attack on the broader Kyiv region that surrounds the Ukrainian capital, its governor Mykola Kalashnik said on Telegram. Photos posted by Ukraine's State Emergency Service showed rescuers leading people to safety from several buildings and structures on fire in the dark. The Service said a pregnant woman was among those rescued. An exit to the metro station in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi district was also damaged, as well as an adjacent bus stop, Kyiv's officials said. Kyiv's deep metro stations have been used throughout the war as some of the city's safest bomb shelters. Russia's deadliest attack on Kyiv last week with hundreds of drones killed 28 people and injured more than 150, with Ukrainian officials saying that nearly 30 sites were hit during the multi-wave attack.