Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked his country’s Independence Day on Sunday by posting a letter from Pope Leo XIV in which the pope assured him of prayers for Ukrainians suffering in the war and urged that “the clamor of arms may fall silent and give way to dialogue.”
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“With a heart wounded by the violence that ravages your land, I address you on this day of your national feast,” the pope wrote in the letter, which Zelenskyy shared on the social media platform X on Aug. 24. The Vatican’s official media outlet, Vatican News, published an article attributing the message to Pope Leo XIV.
“I wish to assure you of my prayer for the people of Ukraine who suffer from war — especially for all those wounded in body, for those bereaved by the death of a loved one, and for those deprived of their homes,” the pope said. “May God himself console them; may he strengthen the injured and grant eternal rest to the departed.”
The pope said he was entrusting Ukraine “to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace,” and prayed that “the path to peace for the good of all” would be opened.
Zelenskyy, in his X post, thanked the pope: “I am sincerely grateful to His Holiness for his thoughtful words, prayer, and attention to the people of Ukraine amid devastating war. All of our hopes and efforts are for our nation to achieve the long-awaited peace. For good, trust, and justice to prevail. We appreciate @pontifex’s moral leadership and apostolic support.”
The papal message was one of a flurry of Independence Day letters Zelenskyy posted online from world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Charles III of Britain, Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter, French President Emmanuel Macron, and King Felipe VI of Spain.
Ukraine’s Independence Day, celebrated annually on Aug. 24, commemorates the country’s 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
The pope’s message came two days after he called for a worldwide day of fasting and prayer for peace, coinciding with the Aug. 22 feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In July, Zelenskyy met Pope Leo at Castel Gandolfo, the pope’s summer residence, in their second encounter since the pope’s inauguration Mass in May. According to the Vatican, they discussed “the urgency of pursuing just and lasting paths of peace,” and Pope Leo reaffirmed his willingness to host representatives of Russia and Ukraine for possible negotiations.
This article was originally published by CNA.
