The institutional meetings held in recent days by Cardinal Pietro Parolin with Ukrainian leaders culminated on Tuesday morning in Kyiv with the meeting between the Cardinal Secretary of State and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Following the meeting, in a post on X, the Secretariat of State announced that the Cardinal reaffirmed "the Pope's solidarity and the commitment to finding a just and lasting peace for war-torn Ukraine."

Zelensky had already received a papal envoy in June last year. Pope Francis had asked the Cardinal of Bologna and head of the Italian bishops, Matteo Zuppi, to visit the war-torn nation and meet with the Ukrainian President.

Over the years, Zelensky has had several opportunities to speak with the Pope. The last occasion was on June 14, 2024, on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in southern Italy. Prior to that, on December 28, 2023, Zelensky reported on his X account about a phone conversation he had with Pope Francis for Christmas greetings. On that occasion, he wrote, the emphasis was on a "just peace for all of us" and the Vatican's appreciation for the presidential peace plan.

The Pope had previously received the Ukrainian President at the Vatican on May 13 of the same year, their second in-person meeting after their first in 2020, and the first since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Two days after the conflict broke out, on February 26, 2022, Pope Francis - as Zelensky reported on Twitter - expressed profound sorrow for what was happening. In turn, the President stated that the Ukrainian people felt the spiritual support of the Pope.

Another phone conversation took place on March 22, 2022. On that occasion, on Twitter, Zelensky said he had briefed the Pope on "the difficult humanitarian situation and the blocking of humanitarian corridors by Russian forces," and welcomed "the Holy See's mediation role in ending human suffering."

Then, another call occurred on August 12, 2022. Again, on Twitter, the Ukrainian President said that the conversation focused on the horrors experienced by the population due to the Russian invasion. Zelensky expressed gratitude to the Pope for his prayers and expressed hopes for a papal visit.

During Tuesday's meeting between Cardinal Parolin and President Zelensky, the latter awarded the papal envoy with the Order of Merit. In a post on X following the meeting, the Ukrainian President said the award is in recognition of the Cardinal's "exceptional role in the development of bilateral relations" and his "support during the terrible period of aggression."

Cardinal Parolin visits bombed Children’s Hospital

It is devastating to witness the ruins of a place where life begins, now turned into a scene of death. On July 8, a Russian missile strike hit the Okhmatdyt Ukrainian Pediatric Hospital. At the time of the attack, 627 children were in the hospital. The toll was two dead, including a doctor, and 50 injured, eight of whom were minors. Additionally, 94 children were transferred to other medical facilities in Kyiv. The missile damaged the surgical, oncology, and intensive care units, as well as Ukraine's only laboratory for blood and cancer diseases. The toxicology building and the hospital’s trauma unit were also gutted.

Today, July 23, Cardinal Pietro Parolin visited the facility, the largest pediatric hospital in Ukraine, which has been striving to reactivate its services due to the uniqueness of its work. He was welcomed by Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko and the hospital's general director, Volodymyr Zhovnir, who discussed the hospital's activities and the destruction caused by the bombing. Outside, the Cardinal stopped to view places where only fragments of walls remained from the destroyed wards. Inside, he greeted and comforted the hospitalized children, exchanged words with some, offered encouragement to their parents, thanked the doctors and medical staff, and discussed cooperation with the Vatican’s Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital with the hospital's management.

From the hospital, Cardinal Parolin moved to the St. Sophia Museum Complex in Kyiv, and was welcomed by its general director, Nelia Kukovalska. The cathedral, built starting in 1037 with its gold and green domes, is a millennial symbol of the Ukrainian capital and the country’s unity. Over the centuries, it has endured attacks, plundering, and fires. The state-managed museum complex hosts religious events, such as interreligious prayers on major state holidays. The ongoing conflict led UNESCO last September to include St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv and the medieval center of Lviv to its list of endangered World Heritage Sites. The Secretary of State visited the cathedral and the historical exhibition. In front of the majestic mosaic of the Praying Madonna, he suggested offering a prayer to the Virgin. The Vatican delegation sang the Marian hymn "Salve Regina" in Latin. At the end of the visit, the Cardinal signed the guest book and wrote a dedication.