Pope Leo urges Zelenskyy to cooperate with Russia on aid for Oleshky
The Vatican said Leo asked Russia and Ukraine to let food and medical aid in and allow civilians to leave safely.
- On Monday, October 19, 2026, Pope Leo XIV spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the "grave situation" in Oleshky, Ukraine's Kherson region.
- This discussion followed Pope Leo's Friday appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he requested a humanitarian ceasefire to permit aid deliveries and evacuations.
- Recovering from surgery to remove a lung nodule performed October 13, Pope Leo was discharged Saturday and is now slowly resuming his official duties.
- The Pope expressed hope that cooperation will allow for the "voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population" from the embattled Kherson region.
- Commitment to dialogue and peace remains central to the Holy See's mission, with the Pope expected to hold his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday.
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Something is moving in the diplomatic sphere around the serious humanitarian crisis that Oleshki, a town in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian region of Jerson, suffers. “It is hard to call that life,” laments Vitalii Mikolaiovich, 55 years old, who managed to escape last month from the population, where there is little food. Pope Leo XIV has approached with the Presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, a possible truce …
Catholic Review
Pope Leo urges Ukraine-Russia humanitarian cooperation as Russian strike kills children at playground
Pope Leo XIV spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, expressing hope that Ukraine and Russia will cooperate on humanitarian aid and evacuations for civilians in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky, the Vatican said.
During Phone Call With Zelenskyy, Pope Leo Urges Ukraine-Russia Humanitarian Cooperation as Russian Strike Kills Children at Playground
Pope Leo XIV spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, expressing hope that Ukraine and Russia will cooperate on humanitarian aid and evacuations for civilians in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky, the Vatican said.
After Putin, the Pope heard the Ukrainian president and re-launched the appeal to the ceasefire. Tomorrow he was expected at the general audience in St. Peter's Square, after returning to the Vatican from the Twins. The article Pope Leo unstoppable: he also called Zelensky to convince him to accept the truce came from The Truth.
Pope Leo XIV spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday and urged him to cooperate with Moscow to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, the Vatican reported, ANSA reported. Zelensky later said on the X network that Kiev was trying to help the people in Oleshky and thanked the Catholic Church's highest representative for thinking of Ukraine despite his health problems.
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