THE Ukraine is open to a Vatican mediation to resolve the crisis with Russia and wants from him Pope Francis to visit the country as soon as possible, even under current conditions, he said today new ambassador of Kiev in Holy See.
In a telephone interview from Kiev with Reuters, Andriy Jurassic said the Vatican was considering responding to invitations from both Ukrainian political and religious officials. He also recalled that last April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told an Italian newspaper that the Vatican would be the ideal place for the two sides to negotiate an end to the war in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
THE Giuras reiterated that Kiev is willing to accept the mediation of the Vatican, amid controversy over the deployment of more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border. Russia denies planning an invasion, but many Western countries expect such a move and have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine.
“As far as I understand, the Vatican would be ready and happy to create an opportunity for a meeting between the leaders of the two sides,” said Juras, who was previously head of the Directorate of Religious Affairs and Nationalities at the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture.
“THE Ukraine it is absolutely in his best interest to use this very spiritual space for a meeting. “If Russia confirms that it will sit at the table, Ukraine will immediately respond positively.”
The Vatican has not yet responded to a request to comment on these statements.
In recent decades, the Vatican has mediated between rival factions in South Sudan, between Chile and Argentina over a territorial dispute, and in the rapprochement between Cuba and the United States.
Most Ukrainians are Christian Orthodox, but about 10% belong to the Eastern Catholic Church, which, although following the Byzantine tradition, is in communion with the pope. In 2018, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church split, with one side declaring its independence from the Russian Orthodox Church and the other maintaining its ties with Moscow.
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