Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chmygal invited Pope Francis to visit his country on Thursday, April 27 and asked for his help in repatriating Ukrainian children taken to Russia by Moscow forces.
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“
I invited his holiness to personally visit Ukraine
,” Denys Chmygal told the foreign press in Rome, after being received a little earlier by the head of the Catholic Church.
"Peace plan"
During this audience, “
we talked about the peace plan
” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “
and the various steps that the Vatican could take, helping us to achieve this plan
”, continued Denys Chmygal.
"
I asked for example the participation, the assistance of the Vatican, of his Holiness, to bring back to Ukraine children, some of whom were orphans, and who were forcibly transferred, mainly to Russia", said
the Ukrainian prime minister.
Kyiv authorities estimate that more than 16,000 Ukrainian children have been "
kidnapped
" and taken to Russia since the start of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many of whom have reportedly been placed in foster homes.
Moscow denies these allegations, claiming to have “
saved
” Ukrainian children by keeping them away from the fighting and to have put in place procedures to reunite them with their families.
On March 17, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a historic arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, "
presumed responsible for the war crime of illegal deportation
" of Ukrainian minors "
from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation
”.
"Corporate Talks"
The Vatican, for its part, issued a brief communiqué after the audience granted by Pope Francis to Denys Chmygal, affirming that the latter's "
cordial talks
" with his closest collaborators focused on "
the various questions related to the war in Ukraine with special attention (paid) to the humanitarian aspect and efforts to restore peace
”.
Jorge Bergoglio has multiplied calls for peace in Ukraine since February 2022, strongly condemning an "
absurd and cruel
" war.
Despite proposals for mediation, the diplomacy of the Holy See did not succeed in imposing itself on this conflict.
The pope had himself considered going to kyiv and Moscow, a project that has so far not seen the light of day.
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