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Pope Leo XIV Urges Putin for Ceasefire in Ukraine

Updated 9:10 PM ET · 3:15 PM ETConfirmed

Faith Desk

In Short: Pope Leo XIV called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to establish a ceasefire in Oleshky, Ukraine, to allow humanitarian aid and civilian evacuations.

Pope Leo XIV spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin from his room in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Oct. 16, urging him to call for a ceasefire in Oleshky, a city in the Kherson region of Ukraine, where the humanitarian situation is dire.

During the conversation, the Vatican said the Holy Father expressed deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in Oleshky and called for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of food and medical assistance and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population.

The Kremlin said Putin thanked the pope for his willingness to contribute to resolving the conflict and for his ongoing humanitarian efforts.

The pope’s appeal came a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ruled out a general ceasefire in the war, arguing that any pause in fighting would allow Ukraine to rearm.

The Vatican shared pictures of the pope celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass in the hospital where he is recovering, with his post-operative recovery allowing him to carry out his normal daily activities.

The Holy See’s press office said the pope called for a ceasefire to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and the safe evacuation of civilians from Oleshky.

The city is estimated to have more than 6,000 civilians remaining, including some 200 children, who are effectively trapped in a 'gray zone' near the front line.

International humanitarian law mandates rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, but Russia has imposed a 'humanitarian blockade,' with food supplies last delivered to the area at the end of May.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk described the situation in the city as 'desperate' and called on Russia to allow civilians to leave.

Cardinal Parolin said, 'It was the Holy Father who took the initiative to plead the case of this besieged city, where some 2,000 civilians need humanitarian routes through which they can leave.'

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• Pope Leo XIV “spoke by telephone” with Vladimir Putin, the president of the Russian Federation, from his room in the Gemelli Hospital on Oct. 16 and asked him to call for a ceasefire in Oleshky, a city in the Ukrainian region of Kherson, where the humanitarian situation is dire, the Vatican said in a note sent to the accredited media before noon EDT.
• VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Friday and called for a ceasefire in a Russian-occupied city in southern Ukraine, as he recovers in hospital from lung cancer surgery.
• Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to promoting dialogue and peace amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
• Putin also provided “a detailed explanation” concerning what he called Kyiv’s “responsibility” for the humanitarian situation in Oleshky, while expressing “support” for the Vatican’s aim to facilitate civilian safety and the delivery of essential aid, the Kremlin said.
• “I hope that, in response to the Holy Father’s request, President Putin will agree to do what the Pope has asked,” Cardinal Parolin added.
• During a phone call with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, Pope Leo XIV called for a ceasefire to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and the safe evacuation of civilians from Oleshky in Kherson region, Vatican News reports, citing the Holy See's press office.
• Oleshky and its surrounding communities are estimated to have more than 6,000 civilians remaining there, including some 200 children, who are “effectively trapped in a ‘gray zone’ near the front line,” said UCCRO.
• International humanitarian law, which governs armed conflict, mandates “rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need,” according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
• Over the past several months, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War has issued multiple warnings of a “dire” and “Russian-manufactured humanitarian crisis” in Oleshky.
• "Finally, the Holy Father reaffirmed the Holy See's commitment to promoting dialogue and peace."
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Friday described the situation in the city as “desperate” and called on Russia to allow civilians to leave.

What's still developing

• According to a Holy See statement, the pope expressed concern about Oleshky in the Kherson region, a city in the Russian-occupied portion of Ukraine where a severe humanitarian crisis is underway and where, according to the United Nations, 1,700 people are trapped in what have become ghost towns because of ongoing attacks.
• Earlier on Friday, the 71-year-old Chicago-born pope celebrated mass on the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli hospital, in the first images the Vatican has released of him since the operation.
• During the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23, 51 countries signed a joint letter backing Ukraine and urging Moscow to agree to an immediate ceasefire.
• As previously reported, this was the second phone call between the Pope and the Kremlin leader.
• Copyright applies to all Interfax-Ukraine materials.
• “It has been agreed to cooperate on this matter,” said the Kremlin.

Sources

• America Magazinelink
• Catholicreviewlink
• Ewtnnewslink
• Fox Newslink
• Interfax-Ukrainelink
• Kuwait Timeslink
• Kyiv Postlink
• Latest news from Azerbaijanlink
• NewsCordlink
• OSV Newslink
• RBC-Ukrainelink
• Ukrinformlink
• Vaticannewslink
• WarpBeat — background on Pope Leo XIV Urges Putin for Ceasefire in Ukraine link
• The Daily Guardian — video link