In a speech delivered to a packed room, the pope did not specify what concessions he thought Kyiv or Moscow might have to make to secure peace. Russian forces are persistently bombing Ukraine and attempting to push forward in the Donetsk region, but the Kremlin’s military has so far failed to subjugate Kyiv after more than four and a half years of all-out war.
The pontiff has taken an active role in recent months, pushing for an end to hostilities in Ukraine. In August, Leo sent Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the equivalent of his foreign minister, to Moscow to meet with officials including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Another Vatican envoy is set to visit Russia this week.
The visits highlight that Leo is adopting a more proactive role in trying to mediate over Ukraine, with Europe largely absent in diplomacy with Russia, though German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul did meet with Lavrov in New York at the weekend.
The pontiff has repeatedly called for the end of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and expressed hope that negotiations would resume and lead to a diplomatic solution.
In his speech on Europe, the pope also praised Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union and a practicing Catholic. He also urged migrants to be welcomed “as if they were part of one’s own family,” at a moment when anti-immigration parties are on the rise across Europe, including in France where Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally is topping the polls.
“We must grasp the historical significance of what is taking place, namely an unprecedented encounter between peoples and cultures, which calls us to rediscover our roots in new and creative ways, while at the same time listening carefully to others,” he said.