- Pope Leo XIV. on Friday he spoke on the phone with the presidents of Israel and Ukraine.
- Leo XIV. emphasized the need for a just and lasting peace in conflict regions.
- During the conversation with Herzog, the Pope appealed for the protection of the civilian population.
Pope Leo XIV. on Friday, on the occasion of Easter, he spoke on the phone with Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In phone calls, the head of the Catholic Church emphasized the need for a “just and lasting” peace in the Middle East and Ukraine. TASR informs about it according to the agency ANSA.
In a phone call with Herzog, the Pope emphasized “the importance of protecting the civilian population and enforcing compliance with international and humanitarian law,” the official statement said. “During the conversation, the need to resume all possible channels of diplomatic dialogue to end this ongoing serious conflict and achieve a just and lasting peace throughout the Middle East was re-emphasized,” added the Vatican.
Leo XIV expressed similar wishes. also during a phone call with the Ukrainian president and expressed his “closeness to the Ukrainian people”. “The conversation then focused on the humanitarian situation, emphasizing the urgency of providing the necessary aid to the population,” specified the Vatican. The Pope also spoke with Zelensky about the release of prisoners and expressed the hope “that with the determination and support of the international community, it will be possible to achieve a cessation of hostilities and a just and lasting peace as soon as possible.”
Zelensky thanked the Pope for his prayers and wished him a peaceful Easter. Leo XIV. at the same time he invited to visit Ukraine. In a post on Platform X, he also declared that Russia “intensified its attacks on Friday, turning what was supposed to be a ceasefire into an Easter escalation.”
