Pope Leo XIV.Photo: IPA / SplashNews.com
On Wednesday afternoon, the new head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, had his first telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the conversation, the pontiff called on the Kremlin to make a “gesture that will promote peace” amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. This was reported by AFP with reference to the Vatican.
“The Pope called on Russia to take a step towards peace and stressed the importance of dialogue to establish positive contacts and find solutions to the conflict,” the Holy See said in an official statement.
The Kremlin, for its part, expressed gratitude to the Pope for his willingness to participate in the settlement of humanitarian issues, stressing that its position is “depoliticised”. Also, according to Putin, the Ukrainian authorities are “trying to escalate the conflict” and are committing “terrorist acts” on Russian territory, striking at civilian infrastructure.
Moscow has once again reiterated the need to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict”, referring to Ukraine’s neutral status and the prevention of NATO’s eastward expansion.
Although Russia has tried to develop a dialogue with the Vatican in recent years (in particular on humanitarian issues, such as family reunification), the Russian Foreign Ministry has previously stated that the Holy See is not a neutral platform for peace talks between Orthodox-majority countries.
