Salvatore Cernuzio, Piotr Kowalczuk
Meeting with the Head of Ukrainian Diplomacy
Cardinal Zuppi returned to Rome by scheduled flight after a car journey from Kyiv to Krakow. The hierarch spent four days in the Lviv region and Kyiv. He made many visits and held intensive meetings. The last of these took place in Kyiv.
After the morning ceremony in St. Michael’s Square on the occasion of Ukrainian Statehood Day, with the participation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and representatives of civil and religious authorities, Cardinal Zuppi spoke with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sybiha. The head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Ukrainian government, expressed gratitude for the Holy See’s “unwavering humanitarian commitment.” He emphasized that Ukraine, more than anyone else, desires to end this war. At the same time, he drew attention to the rapidly developing Ukrainian defense industry and the experience of Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield. He assessed that Ukraine is becoming an increasingly important element of the European security system.
The Issue of Ukrainian Civilians Imprisoned by Russians
The meeting also concerned the fate of Ukrainian civilians detained and imprisoned by the Russian side. Minister Sybiha pointed out that they cannot count on international protection mechanisms. He asked Cardinal Zuppi to make efforts to create a specific humanitarian corridor through which they could return to the country.
Humanitarian Situation
Minister Sybiha also informed Cardinal Zuppi about the humanitarian situation in the towns of Oleshky and Hola Prystan in the Kherson region, occupied by Russian soldiers, where thousands of civilians urgently need a humanitarian corridor. He mentioned Russia’s recent attack on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site. He emphasized that the protection and renovation of this site are a priority for the Ukrainian government.
Humanitarian Commitment
The issues of prisoner and child repatriation, civilian protection, and humanitarian aid repeatedly came up in other institutional discussions, during which Cardinal Zuppi repeatedly emphasized the essence of his mission in Ukraine: “One soldier, one civilian, or one child who can return to their family is a cornerstone of peace,” the cardinal said, assuring: “We will do our utmost. This is the will of Leo XIV. Humanitarian commitment must be placed above all political or military logic. Humanity is very close to the Church’s heart.
The Issue of Prisoners and Abducted Children
In Kyiv, Cardinal Zuppi met with the Head of the President’s Office, General Kyrylo Budanov, the Human Rights Commissioner, the head of military intelligence, and the coordinator for prisoners of war. The hierarch received from his interlocutors a draft prisoner exchange with Russia, who requested the Holy See’s support in this matter. The plan concerns the exchange of 7,000 Ukrainian prisoners for 4,000 Russian prisoners. In the past, Cardinal Zuppi traveled to Moscow twice as an intermediary in a similar matter. Both missions were successful.
Hope for Visiting POW Camps in Russia
Discussions also covered the “missing,” many of whom are in Russian-occupied territories, the fate of civilians to be repatriated, and the issue of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, in which the Holy See has been involved since the beginning of the war. Given that Cardinal Zuppi visited a penal colony in the Lviv region, meeting with Russian prisoners held there, his interlocutors expressed hope that the hierarch would also travel to Russia to visit Ukrainian prisoners. The Ukrainian side claims to have irrefutable evidence of inhumane conditions and torture there.
