Pope Leo speaks to Israeli, Ukrainian presidents: Vatican

VATICAN CITY – Pope Leo XIV had telephone conversations on April 3 with the presidents of Israel and Ukraine during which he wished for peace amid ongoing wars, the Vatican said.

The American-born Pope spoke to Israeli President Isaac Herzog and, separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which the humanitarian situation in each war zone was discussed, the Vatican said in separate statements.

The Pope and Mr Herzog “reaffirmed the need to reopen all possible channels of diplomatic dialogue to bring an end to the serious ongoing conflict, with a view to achieving a just and lasting peace throughout the Middle East”, a statement said.

“The conversation also focused on the importance of protecting the civilian population and promoting respect for international and humanitarian law,” it added.

The calls came as the pontiff was observing the Catholic Holy Week leading up to Easter on April 5, and while Mr Herzog was marking the Jewish Passover, and as Mr Zelensky, who is Jewish, was preparing for Ukraine to celebrate Orthodox Easter, which in 2026 falls on April 12.

A statement from Mr Herzog’s office said the two men exchanged greetings for Passover and Easter before discussing the Iran war, “including the ongoing threat of missile attacks by the Iranian regime and its terror proxies against people of all faiths in the region”.

Regarding Lebanon, they discussed “the importance of the safety and security of Christian communities on both sides of the border”.

With Mr Zelensky, Pope Leo expressed his “best wishes for the Easter holidays”, and both leaders discussed the “urgency of providing the necessary aid to the population suffering from the conflict”.

Reference was also made to efforts to promote humanitarian initiatives, especially the release of prisoners.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the Vatican has sought to play a mediating role behind the scenes, in particular trying to bring about prisoner exchanges through its diplomatic channels.

Mr Zelensky said on X that while he was speaking to the Pope, “the Russians attacked Ukraine yet again”, after waves of attacks since the night of April 2 in at least five regions.

“Not a single hour of peace for our people, and this is Russia’s response to our proposal for an Easter ceasefire,” he wrote.

The Vatican said that the Pope and Mr Zelensky evoked hopes that “with the commitment and cooperation of the international community, hostilities may cease as soon as possible and a just and lasting peace may be achieved”, read a statement.

In February, Pope Leo said that peace in Ukraine – where the war has dragged on for more than four years – was “an urgent necessity”.

Regarding the war in the Middle East, Pope Leo called on world leaders this week to “come back to the table to dialogue”, saying he hoped that US President Donald Trump was “looking for an off-ramp”. AFP