Call between Zelensky and Cardinal Parolin: Prayers for Pope and appeal for peace

By Salvatore Cernuzio

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on Friday, March 14.

During the call, he conveyed his well wishes for Pope Francis’ recovery, expressed gratitude for the Holy See’s moral support for the Ukrainian people, and acknowledged its efforts to facilitate the return of children “illegally deported and displaced by Russia.”

The phone call comes in the wake of a US-mediated proposal for a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow. The Kremlin is studying the proposal.

The conversation

President Zelensky shared news of the call with Cardinal Parolin—whom he had previously met during the cardinal’s visit to Ukraine in July—with a post on his X account. The conversation was later confirmed by Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, during his daily briefing with journalists.

“I spoke with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. I wished Pope Francis a swift recovery and thanked him for his prayers and moral support for our people, as well as for his efforts in facilitating the return of Ukrainian children illegally deported and displaced by Russia,” Zelensky wrote in his post.

“The Holy See has received a list of Ukrainians detained in Russian prisons and camps. We rely on its support for their release,” he added, underscoring that a prisoner exchange and a 30-day ceasefire would be “the first concrete steps” toward achieving “a just and lasting peace.” He affirmed that “Ukraine is ready to take these steps because the Ukrainian people desire peace more than anyone else.” Zelensky also emphasized that “the voice of the Holy See is very important in the path toward peace.”

Efforts for minors and prisoners

This is not the first time the Ukrainian leader has publicly thanked the Holy See for its efforts in securing the release of over 19,000 Ukrainian minors forcibly taken to Russia and in facilitating prisoner exchanges. Since the onset of the conflict, Zelensky has appealed to Vatican diplomacy for intervention on these critical humanitarian issues. He reiterated these requests during his first wartime audience with Pope Francis in 2023 and again during their most recent meeting on October 11, 2024. Zelensky has met with the Pope four times, three of those in the Vatican and one during a bilateral meeting at the G7 summit in Puglia, southern Italy.

Cardinal Zuppi’s mission

In 2024, Zelensky also used X to express gratitude to the Holy See for its efforts in securing the release of two Redemptorist priests, Ivan Levytskyi and Bohdan Heleta, who were arrested in November 2022 and later freed in a prisoner exchange on June 29, 2024. The Ukrainian president also praised the diplomatic mission led by Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, which aimed to ease tensions in the conflict. Zuppi’s mission included visits not only to Kyiv but also to Moscow, Washington, and Beijing, where he engaged in dialogue with both political and ecclesiastical representatives.

As Cardinal Parolin has reiterated on several occasions, Zuppi’s mission played a key role in establishing a mechanism for prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of Ukrainian children. This was also confirmed by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, during the Peace Formula Conference in Montreal, an initiative proposed by Zelensky in October 2024. A central topic of discussion was the fourth proposal in the ten-point Peace Formula: the “release of all prisoners and deportees.”

Gallagher emphasized that humanitarian assistance has been a primary focus of Cardinal Zuppi’s mission to Kyiv and Moscow. His efforts have led to the establishment of a framework for the repatriation of children and regular exchanges of information between both sides, including online meetings involving apostolic nuncios in Ukraine and Russia—Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas and Archbishop Giovanni d’Aniello, respectively.

“The presence of the two apostolic nuncios is valuable in facilitating dialogue,” Archbishop Gallagher explained. He noted that Kulbokas, in particular, has identified Catholic institutions prepared to receive families with repatriated children. Meanwhile, the Holy See continues to request updated lists of deported children, has submitted thousands of names of prisoners in calls for their release, and has urged Russian authorities to return the bodies of deceased Ukrainian soldiers.