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Pope Leo XIV Urges Putin for Ceasefire in Oleshky

Updated 7:14 PM ET · 6:23 PM ETConfirmed

Faith Desk

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

Pope Leo XIV spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 16, urging him to call for a ceasefire in Oleshky, a city in the Ukrainian region of Kherson, according to a Vatican statement sent to accredited media before noon EDT. The Vatican said Pope Leo XIV expressed deep concern about the dire humanitarian situation in Oleshky and called for a ceasefire to allow for the delivery of food and medical assistance and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population.

Kyivpost (Ukraine) reported that Pope Leo XIV’s call with Putin was the first reported direct communication with a head of state since the pontiff underwent lung cancer surgery on October 13. The Kyivpost also noted that Oleshky residents had been without drinking water and food for months, with the last food delivery reaching the town on May 26.

News (Azerbaijan) and aleteia.org reported that Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to promoting dialogue and peace amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Both outlets noted that the pope’s call with Putin was aimed at facilitating humanitarian aid and civilian evacuations.

Catholicweekly (Australia) reported that Pope Leo XIV spoke with Putin less than a week after recovering from lung surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. The Australian publication also noted that Zelenskyy gave the pope a detailed briefing on Russian strikes against Ukrainian cities and the humanitarian catastrophe in Oleshky.

According to Catholicreview, Oleshky and its surrounding communities are 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. The report also highlighted that Russia’s aid blockade has further compounded previous damage to Oleshky, which was one of several cities flooded by Russia’s 2023 intentional destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in Kherson.

Chimpreports and Kyivpost (Ukraine) reported that Ukrainian authorities estimate up to 6,000 civilians remain in frontline communities including Oleshky and Hola Prystan, among them more than 180 children. Kyivpost also noted that the city’s residents had remained without drinking water and food for months.

Despite the differing estimates, all outlets agreed that Pope Leo XIV called for a ceasefire in Oleshky to facilitate humanitarian aid and the safe evacuation of civilians. The Vatican’s statement emphasized the pope’s deep concern about the humanitarian situation in the city and his call for a ceasefire to allow for aid deliveries and evacuations.

The Vatican also reported that Pope Leo XIV spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on October 19, urging cooperation with Russia to allow humanitarian aid and evacuations for civilians in Oleshky. Both Kyivpost (Ukraine) and Catholicweekly (Australia) confirmed that Zelenskyy briefed the pope on Russian strikes and the humanitarian crisis in Oleshky.

While the exact number of civilians in Oleshky varied among reports, all outlets agreed that Pope Leo XIV’s calls with both Putin and Zelenskyy were aimed at facilitating humanitarian aid and civilian evacuations in the embattled city.

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.
• Pope Leo XIV has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow a ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky to facilitate humanitarian assistance and the safe evacuation of civilians.
• ROME — Pope Leo XIV spoke by phone Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urging cooperation with Russia to allow humanitarian aid into the embattled city of Oleshky and the safe evacuation of civilians, the Vatican said.
• Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to promoting dialogue and peace amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

What's still developing

• Oleshky is a city on the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine and sits directly in the line of fire along the war’s southern front.
• Launched in 2013, Aleteia is a free online daily news publication.
• "the current diplomatic initiatives bring about a just and lasting peace."
• As reported by Ukrinform, on October 8, the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights said that Ukraine was continuing communication with the Russian side on organizing the safe evacuation of civilians from the temporarily occupied city of Oleshky, but that no practical breakthrough had been achieved so far.
• “Crimes against humanity of this kind were committed precisely when the U.S. president announced a so-called energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine,” Major Archbishop Shevchuk wrote, calling the timing of the attacks especially painful.

Sources

• America Magazinelink
• Catholicreviewlink
• Chimpreportslink
• Crux: Covering all things Catholiclink
• EWTN Newslink
• Kyivpostlink
• Newslink
• OSV Newslink
• The Catholic Thinglink
• aleteia.orglink
• Vaticannewslink
• Ukrinformlink
• Enlink
• OSV Newslink
• Catholicweeklylink
• WarpBeat — background on Melania Trump Helps Broker Ceasefire in Oleshky link
• Capitol Signal — video link