Pope Leo XIV to hold first private audience with Zelensky as he recalls "martyred Ukraine"
Vatican City - Pope Leo XIV will hold his first private audience Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the American pontiff's inauguration mass, the Vatican said.
"The martyred Ukraine is waiting for negotiations for a just and lasting peace to finally happen," the pontiff said ahead of the meeting.
Zelensky was among politicians, royals, and faith leaders from around the world who attended the mass inaugurating the start of Leo's papacy.
In St. Peter's Square, the Ukrainian leader shook hands with US Vice President JD Vance.
Before becoming pope, Leo reposted on his personal X account criticism of President Donald Trump's administration over its approach to migration. He also criticized Vance's doctrinal arguments, but the account is no longer accessible.
In his Regina Coeli prayer at the end of the mass, Leo also noted that "in Gaza, children, families, and elderly survivors are reduced to hunger."
And he recalled how "in Myanmar, new hostilities have destroyed innocent young lives."
Cover photo: Collage: REUTERS