VATICAN (CNS): Pope Francis plans to make his long-awaited visit to Ukraine before his trip to Kazakhstan in September, said Andrii Yurash, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See.
In a series of tweets posted on August 6 after meeting with the pope, Yurash said the people of Ukraine “have been waiting for the pope” since the start of the war and will “be happy to greet him before his trip to Kazakhstan.”
According to the Ukrainian ambassador the pope said, “I am very close to Ukraine and want to express this closeness [through] my visit to Ukraine.”
Yurash said in a follow-up tweet, “Moments of communication with [the] Holy Father are always inspirational … Especially when there is a chance to discuss and promote subjects that are ‘on the table’ for a long time, like the pope’s visit to Ukraine.”
On several occasions the pope has expressed his desire to not only visit Ukraine, but also Russia to plead for an end to the conflict.
In an interview with on July 18, Yurash said that while Ukraine was ready for a papal visit, he doubted the pope would be able to visit Moscow.
Russian president, Vladimir Putin, “perfectly understands” what the pope’s main message should be, the ambassador said.
“It will be demanding; it will be very concrete, emphasising that Russia is responsible for the war and has to do everything to stop the war. [Putin] will not be willing to answer positively. So, in this case, negotiations would not be successful for either side,” he said.
Yurash said the war has strained relations between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, which he said is more aligned with the “interests of the Russian state.”
Nevertheless, in an interview that aired in the United States on July 11 on Univision, the Spanish-language network, Pope Francis confirmed that he will meet with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill during his September 13 to 15 visit to Kazakhstan.
Both the pope and the Russian patriarch will participate at the Congress of World and Traditional Religions in the capital city, Nur-Sultan.
