European Central: The Vatican’s Diplomatic Engagement With Ukraine
Cristina Gottardi
On October 11, 2024, Pope Francis met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. This was their second face-to-face meeting in four months, having also met at the G7 summit in Italy in June. The two men reviewed the progress of the war in Ukraine and assessed the country’s humanitarian challenges. They also talked about various ways that the conflict could be brought to a resolution, ‘leading to a just and stable peace in the country,’ per the Holy See Press Office.
During the discussion, Zelenskyy asked Pope Francis to assist in freeing Ukrainian prisoners of war held captive in Russia. However, the Vatican did not disclose any specifics regarding the pope’s response to Zelenskyy’s overture. This reflects the Vatican’s commitment to prioritizing peace, as well as its reticence to become overly involved in the war in Ukraine.
This practice has, at times, drawn the ire of the Ukrainians. In March 2024, Pope Francis was asked by a Swiss public broadcaster about Ukraine’s situation and replied: ‘Those who have the courage to raise the white flag and to negotiate are stronger.’ Zelenskyy responded in a statement that it is Russia ‘who has to stop for the war to end.’ The Vatican promptly recanted, with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state and number two official after the pope, placing the blame for the ‘unjust’ war on Russia. In a statement, Parolin concurred with Zelenskyy’s argument that only Russia can bring an end to the violence: ‘The war unleashed against Ukraine is not the effect of an uncontrollable natural disaster but of human freedom alone, and the same human will that caused this tragedy also has the possibility and responsibility to take steps to put an end to it and pave the way to a diplomatic solution.’
In light of this political misstep, the Vatican has been striving to carefully balance its advocacy for peace with the intricate dynamics of the ongoing conflict. At the Conference for Peace in Ukraine, held in Switzerland in June 2024, Parolin called for a dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, claiming that ‘peace is always made together.’ Nevertheless, not wanting the Vatican to be perceived as too accommodating to Russia, Parolin said that the Vatican was concerned about the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Ukraine. In a statement issued after the conference concluded, Parolin stated that ‘On behalf of Pope Francis, I wish to confirm his personal closeness to the tormented Ukrainian people.’
Parolin followed this summit with a six-day tour through Ukraine in July, his first official visit since Russia’s full-scale invasion. As part of the trip, Parolin met with Zelenskyy, stressing the Vatican’s support for the Ukrainian people and the need to secure a peaceful end to the conflict. During his visit, Parolin visited Odesa, the strategic port city on the Black Sea which has been the target of frequent Russian airstrikes since the beginning of the war. He also presided over the final mass for the annual pilgrimage to the renowned Marian shrine of Berdychiv in the Zhytomyr region, the largest Catholic shrine of the Latin rite in Ukraine. There, he urged Ukrainians to hold on to their hope for peace.
Later in the summer, however, the Vatican’s Ukraine policy once again shifted. On August 8, a convoy of trucks departed from Rome carrying food, baby formula, hygiene products, medicine, clothing, and other essential items. It arrived in the region of Kharkiv, one of the most affected by Russia’s invasion, on August 12. The operation was overseen by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Vatican Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity. It was facilitated, in part, by the Pontifical Swiss Guard, a contingent of which helped with logistics. Once in Kharkiv, the aid was disbursed to the population by the local Greek-Catholic Church. Greek-Catholic Bishop Vasyl Tuchapets of the Kharkiv Exarchate expressed relief at the support from the Vatican: ‘Recently, many people have been evacuated from areas near the Russian border, especially from Vovchansk and Lyptsi, where fighting is ongoing.’ These people, he explained, ‘have arrived in Kharkiv and come to us daily asking for food and other essential items…because they often had to flee with only their documents in hand to save their lives.’ ‘Therefore,’ he said, ‘this humanitarian aid is truly important, and I thank all the benefactors who have responded to our appeal and decided to help the people of Kharkiv suffering from the war.’
With the Vatican sending humanitarian support to Ukraine in August, it is perhaps not surprising that President Zelenskyy approached Pope Francis two months later seeking his assistance in securing the release of Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia. This request emphasizes the Vatican’s potential role – at least in the eyes of the Ukrainians – as a compassionate mediator between the two sides. The crucial question for the Vatican is whether it is prepared to set aside its cautious diplomatic approach and take an increasingly active role in the conflict in Ukraine. Moreover, this could lead to a classic ‘catch-22,’ where the Vatican’s efforts to take a more visible role might jeopardize its relations with one of the key parties it will need to win over – namely, Russia – in future peace negotiations. Whichever path the Vatican chooses – whether to maintain a more cautious approach or to increase its involvement in the conflict in the hopes that it can help broker a future peace – it will have a significant effect on the Holy See’s diplomatic standing and its ability to influence global affairs.