The newly elected Pope Leo XIV has been handed lists of Ukrainian defenders who are in Russian captivity.
According to Ukrinform, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported this in a Telegram message.
The lists were handed over to the pontiff by a representative of the families of enslaved defenders. With the assistance of the Coordination Center and the Embassy of Ukraine to the Holy See and the Order of Malta, she attended the Pope’s meeting with the communities of Eastern Catholic churches.
The delegation of believers, led by the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav, was the largest and most active among the participants.
The head of the UGCC congratulated Pope Leo XIV on his election.
The pontiff, for his part, emphasized that his heart “is with the suffering and beloved people of Ukraine.”
“Let’s do everything possible to achieve real peace as soon as possible – just and lasting! Let all the prisoners be released and let the children return to their families!” the Pope said.
As reported by Ukrinform, Pope Leo XIV declared the readiness of the Holy See to mediate between “enemies” to end wars in the world.
Source: Lists of captured Ukrainian defenders handed to Pope Leo XIV
