World·Faith
Pope Leo calls Putin from hospital, asks for ceasefire to feed besieged Ukrainian town of Oleshky
Pope Leo XIV phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday and called for a ceasefire in Oleshky, a Russian-held town in Ukraine's Kherson region, to let in food and medical aid and allow civilians to leave safely, the Holy See press office said. The Kremlin said it had "agreed to cooperate" on supplies and residents' safety but did not mention a ceasefire, Reuters reported; the head of the U.N. human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine says about 1,700 residents, including 47 children, remain in a town that had some 24,000 people before the war. The 71-year-old pope is recovering at Rome's Gemelli hospital after lung cancer surgery, and the Vatican said he is showing steady improvement.
Sources
- Holy See Press OfficeTelephone conversation between the Holy Father and the President of the Russian Federation
- Reuters (via ThePrint)Putin agrees to cooperate with Pope Leo's plea for aid for Ukrainian town