Pope Francis revealed that he had asked to meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow to try to stop the war in Ukraine, but did not receive a response, in an interview for Corriere Della Sera.
“I gave a call to Ukrainian President Zelensky on the first day of war. I did not, however, call Putin. <...> I wanted to send a public message, so I went to see the Russian ambassador. I asked him to explain what was going on, and I begged them to stop”.
“And then I asked the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, to let Putin know that I was willing to go to Moscow. We are yet to receive a response, but we still insist on holding a meeting with Putin, although I believe he might not want to do it right now. But the things are so brutal, there must be an end to it,” Pope said. Meanwhile, he indicated that visiting Ukraine is not in his plans at the moment: “I feel like I don’t have to go there. First I have to come to Moscow and meet Putin. But I am a priest, what can I do? I’m trying to do the best I can. If only Putin opened the door…”
Pope Francis repeatedly called out for a ceasefire and an end to the bloodshed. In particular, he stated that he was “in deep pain” as the situation in Ukraine was becoming worse, and declared 2 March, the first day of fasting before Catholic Easter, a day of prayer and fasting in the name of peace. “I would like to call on those who are responsible for this… to address the Lord, for our Lord is the one of peace and not of war. <…> He wants us to be brothers, not enemies,” said Francis.
