Pope Francis said on Saturday that he would meet with Ukrainian officials soon to discuss the possibility of a visit to Ukraine as the Russian offensive on the territory continues after more than three months of fighting.
The pope made this revelation in a question-and-answer session with children in one of the Vatican’s main courtyards. A young Ukrainian named Sachar asked him: Can you go to Ukraine to rescue all the children who are suffering there now?
Francois, who uses a wheelchair because of knee pain, replied that he often thinks of young Ukrainians and wants to go to Ukraine but has to choose the right time.
It is not easy to make a decision that is more harmful than beneficial to the world. I need to find the right time to do ithe said, according to the Vatican transcript of the meeting.
Next week, I will receive representatives of the Ukrainian government, who will come here to talk, to talk more about my possible visit there. Let’s see what happens, says Francois. He did not give further details.
The war in Ukraine forced the Vatican to engage in a diplomatic balancing act. He offered his intercession on several occasions to end the rivalry.
The sovereign pontiff has repeatedly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin explicitly about the war in Ukraine, but did not name him. He used the terms ofunreasonable aggression at D ‘aggression and regrets the atrocities committed against civilians.
Pope Francis was invited by Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, Mayor of Kyev Vitaliy Klitschko, Major Archbishop of Kyev and Galicia Sviatoslav Shevchuk, and Ukrainian Ambassador to the Vatican Andriy Yurash.
The latter told Reuters on Saturday that he had no details of the meeting mentioned by the pope.
Source: Radio-Canada
