Olena Zelenska meets with Pope Francis and attends Mass at the Vatican

Pope Francis and Olena Zelenska. Photo: vaticannews

On November 20, Pope Francis received the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. According to the president.gov.ua website, Zelenska began her visit to Italy and the Vatican to participate in a mass marking 1,000 days since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Yulia Svyrydenko, also participated in the audience.

It was noted that the First Lady and the Pontiff discussed how to secure the release of all Ukrainians held in Russian captivity and return Ukrainian children to their homeland.

Zelenska expressed deep gratitude to the Holy Father for his continual appeals on behalf of her war-torn nation, his support and aid efforts, and the ongoing mission of Cardinal Zuppi.

Olena Zelenska also presented the Pope with a handcrafted “Saint Nicholas” plate from Ukraine.

"With the hope that peace and safety for Ukrainians will finally prevail, not just in our wishes but in reality," she added.

Following the meeting, the First Lady participated in the General Audience of guests from around the world at St. Peter’s Square.

As reported by UOJ, during the general audience, Pope Francis described the war in Ukraine as "a shameful tragedy for all humanity" and pledged to continue working toward replacing weapons with dialogue.

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