Quiet to the Vatican after the idea of the Holy See was conveyed to host Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations. Pope Leon did not mention the conflict at the general audience
Pope Leon XIV. Photo credit: Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
US President Donald Trump suggested the idea of Vatican -mediated negotiations, after a telephone conversation carried out on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but neither Pope Leon nor high -ranking officials have spoken public about this possibility, which leaves the perspective of such discussions, reports Reuters.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that Pope Leon would have confirmed, in a telephone call he had the same day, the willingness to host peace negotiations. However, the Vatican Press Office refused to comment on the discussion or to provide details of what the Pontifical Sovereign would have said.
Pope Leon, chosen on May 8 instead of the late Pope Francis, held his first general audience in Saint Peter Square on Wednesday. Within it, he launched a firm call for humanitarian assistance in Gaza, but did not mention the situation in Ukraine.
Massimo Faggioli, an Italian academic who closely follows the Vatican's activity, suggested that the institution hesitates to let the transitional period between two popes become a politicized one.
“It is interesting to note that, although the papal transition is still in progress, various government leaders, including Italy, are trying to exert pressure on the Vatican to get involved in peace negotiations that have not been in the last three years,” said Massimo Faggioli, professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.
Vatican officials have avoided providing details on how they analyze the possibility of any negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
An official, who spoke under the protection of anonymity and without authorization, said that the Vatican generally has an open policy on hosting negotiations for the conclusion of any global conflict, but it is careful not to seem too eager to intervene, in order not to be perceived as a bias to one of the parties.
Pope Leon said, in a speech on May 14, that the Vatican could act as a mediator in global conflicts, without explicitly mentioning Ukraine or Russia.
Two days later, the Vatican's main diplomat said that the Pope emphasized the “availability” of the Holy See to host negotiations, including between Russia and Ukraine.
“I have always said, I repeated to both parties – we are available, if they want to meet, the Holy See, the Vatican, it could be a suitable place, with all the necessary discretion,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State.
The Vatican, who has embassies in many capitals of the world, often plays a role as a mediator in conflicts, but prefers to do it discreetly, avoiding public exposure. However, in some cases, he hosted direct negotiations. In 2019, Pope Francis invited to the Vatican the rival leaders in the South Sudan, in a summit meant to boost the conclusion of the civil war that made hundreds of thousands of victims.
It follows the latest developments in the 1183th day of the LiveText Ukraine on Hotnews.ro.
