Pope Leo XIV may visit Ukraine, Apostolic Nuncio says
Photo: Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas (Ihor Kuznietsov, RBC-Ukraine)
Back in 2022, during the defense of Mariupol, the visit of the then-Pope Francis to Ukraine was considered. A visit by the current pontiff, Leo XIV, is also quite possible, but work needs to be done on this issue, says Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Kulbokas notes that the pontiff's visit to Ukraine was considered back in the spring of 2022, during the defense of Mariupol. A few days before the city's defenders surrendered, the then Pope Francis considered the idea of coming to Ukraine.
"There was an idea to evacuate them to another country. And when I conveyed this idea to Pope Francis, he replied: 'if this idea is realistic, I will come to Mariupol if necessary.' When he saw that he could help, very specifically, he would have come," the Archbishop says.
Kulbokas adds that his personal hope is that the Pope's visit to Ukraine will take place. This is a joint effort by both the nuncio and the Catholic bishops to find specific projects, plans, and initiatives so that the pontiff knows that his visit is not only symbolically important but also spiritually important, not only for Ukraine but also for the world.
"I personally believe that we just need to work in this direction to make it clear. But if we have not yet received a visit from the Pope, it means that we have not yet completed this work," he concludes.
It was recently announced that Pope Leo XIV was ready to visit Ukraine, but there are difficulties related to security issues. However, the Vatican has already developed an organizational plan that will enable him to make this visit.
The question arose after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid an official visit to Rome on December 9. One of the meetings was a 30-minute private audience with Pope Leo XIV. The pontiff received the Ukrainian leader at his residence in Castel Gandolfo.
