Lavrov, Vatican Official Tackle Ukraine Conflict

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State have held discussions regarding the ongoing humanitarian concerns stemming from the 2 1/2-year conflict in Ukraine.

“The sides noted constructive development in the Russia-Vatican dialogue, in terms of relations between states and churches and mutual actions in the humanitarian sphere in the context of the Ukrainian crisis,” the ministry stated.

Their conversation with Parolin, who holds a high-ranking position within the Vatican and serves as Pope Francis’s closest adviser, also examined the “reasons for the geopolitical crisis, a direct consequence of the consistent anti-Russian policies of Western countries,” the ministry added.

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The meeting occurred in New York, during the U.N. General Assembly. In parallel, the Vatican has been engaged in efforts to mediate, with a papal envoy visiting both Kyiv and Moscow in an attempt to repatriate Ukrainian children that Kyiv alleges have been forcibly taken by Russia.

Pope Francis has frequently called for peace, expressing sorrow over the loss of lives as a result of the war.

Tensions, however, have emerged between Kyiv and the Vatican, as some of the Pope’s remarks since the Russian invasion began in February 2022 have caused friction.

Ukraine’s relationship with the Vatican is also shaped by its population of approximately 5 million Eastern Rite Catholics.

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