Pope meets with head of Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine, who invites him to Kyiv

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV met Thursday at the Vatican with the head of the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine, in one of his first audiences as pontiff that reaffirmed his appeal for a peaceful, negotiated end to Russia's war. His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk said he invited Leo to visit Ukraine and presented the pope with a list of prisoners held by Russia. The Vatican under Pope Francis had worked for prisoner exchanges, as well as for the return of Ukrainian children taken to live in Russian-occupied territories. The Vatican didn't release any statement after the audience, one of the first private audiences held by Leo since his election May 8.

In his first Sunday noon blessing as pope, and again during an audience with pilgrims from eastern rite churches this week, Leo has appealed for an end to the war and expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people. "I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people. Let everything possible be done to achieve genuine, just and lasting peace as soon as possible. May all the prisoners be freed, and may the children return to their families," he said Sunday. The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said it was "premature" to think of a possible papal visit to Kyiv, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had also suggested during a first phone call with Leo on Monday. The Vatican has a tradition of diplomatic neutrality. Leo has vowed "every effort" to try to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. "The Holy See is always ready to help bring enemies together, face to face, to talk to one another, so that peoples everywhere may once more find hope and recover the dignity they deserve, the dignity of peace," he said on Wednesday. Leo is to be formally installed at a Mass on Sunday; Zelenskyy and U.S. Vice President JD Vance are expected to attend. Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump in St. Peter's Basilica on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral last month.