The Pope received the Ukrainian delegation//risu.ua
Not so long ago, the Pope of Rome received a Ukrainian delegation in the Vatican and expressed his full support for Ukraine's membership in the EU. Read the article about what the Ukrainians talked with the pontiff.
The Pope received the Ukrainian delegation
This was announced to Channel 24 by the vice-rector of the UCU and a member of the Ukrainian delegation Miroslav Marinovich. The meeting itself took place on June 8.
According to him, this conversation was organized amazingly. After all, no official representatives were involved in it, but it was organized by the Pope's old friend, the Argentinean Alejandro.
Among the Ukrainians invited to this meeting:
- Evgeniy Yakushev from Mariupol,
- UCU graduate Denis Kolyada from Kyiv,
- vice-rector of UCU Miroslav Marinovich.
I think we were able to give the Pope a picture of everything. In particular, Yevhen expressed concern for the defenders of Mariupol, and I spoke about the circumstances related to the political position of Ukraine,” Marinovich noted.
He says that during the conversation, the audience joked a lot, but also talked about serious things – the war.
The conversation lasted almost two hours
The vice-rector of the UCU noted that usually official meetings with the Pope do not last longer than 25 minutes, because such a protocol is in the Vatican.
But at the beginning of the conversation, the Pope told the Ukrainian delegation: “We can talk as much as necessary “. As a result, this meeting lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes.
What the Pope says about the supply of weapons to Ukraine
Our delegation touched upon the issue of supplying heavy weapons to Ukraine.
The expert assured that the Ukrainians turned this conversation in the other direction – remembered that:
- Ukraine became the first country to renounce atomic weapons.
- Our state also reduced its army from 500 to 150 thousand soldiers.
That is, our people tried not to rely on military aspects, but to negotiate diplomatically. But now we have become a victim of aggression from Russia,” said Marinovich.
He noted that the Pope remembered that he catches the style of Peter I and Elizabeth II in the behavior of Russia. “That is, he sees Putin's imperial motives , in particular, he heard this from the last speeches of the President of the Russian Federation,” the Vice-Rector explained.
The Pope expressed support for Ukraine's membership in the EU
According to Marinovich, the Pope expressed his full support for Ukraine's membership in the European Union.
“He said that that he planned to discuss this very topic with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, whom he met two days after the conversation,” the Vice-Rector noted.
Miroslav Marinovich about the meeting with the Pope:
Statements of the Pope on the background of the war in Ukraine
- The Pope appealed to Vladimir Putin three times asking for permission to take people out of Azovstal on a ship flying the flag of the Vatican. However, each time the Russian president refused him.
- The Pontifex called the war in Ukraine a “terrible regression of mankind” that makes “suffer and cry.” Francis also questioned whether the Kremlin would agree to end hostilities through dialogue.
- The wives of the two defenders of Mariupol arrived in the Vatican in May and met with Pope Francis. The women showed the pontiff photos of the Ukrainian military from Azovstal. The pontiff blessed the Ukrainian women, but it is not known that he responded to their request.
- Pope Francis condemned the blockade of wheat exports from Ukrainian ports. According to him, the lives of millions of people depend on it, especially in the poorest countries. However, the pontiff did not specify who exactly is blocking the supply of Ukrainian grain.
