VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican and Russian foreign ministers discussed “initiatives aimed at stopping the military actions” in Ukraine during a phone call April 4.
The call, held between Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Vatican foreign minister, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, “was dedicated to the overall picture of world politics, with particular attention to the situation of the war in Ukraine,” the Vatican said in a statement.
“The willingness of the Holy See to continue its humanitarian effort in matters regarding the exchange of prisoners was reiterated,” it added.
The Vatican had been previously involved in organizing prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine. In June 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recognized the role of the Holy See in freeing 10 Ukrainians, including two priests, from Russian captivity. In addition, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova later praised the involvement of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, the pope’s peace envoy for Ukraine, in organizing two prisoner exchanges in December 2024 and January 2025.
The Vatican said that the foreign ministers also discussed “matters regarding religious life and, in particular, the situation of the Catholic Church in the Russian Federation.”
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, spoke with Zelenskyy on a phone call March 14.
The Ukrainian president said in a post on X later that day that the Vatican had received a list of Ukrainians being held in Russian prisons and camps. “We are counting on the support for their release,” he wrote.
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