Pope meets with Putin, presses for peace in Ukraine
June 10, 2015
Pope Francis called for a “sincere and great effort to realize peace” in Ukraine, as he met on June 10 with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
During a 50-minute conversation that was described as cordial but serious, the Pope pressed the Russian leader to help create a “climate of dialogue” in Ukraine, to abide by the Minsk accords, and to allow immediate access for relief agencies to ease the humanitarian crisis there.
The Pontiff also spoke with Putin about the tensions in the Middle East, especially Syria and Iraq. There, too, the Pope stressed the importance of ending armed violence, supporting dialogue, and protecting the human rights of all residents.
While Putin spoke with the Pope, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, held separate talks with his Vatican counterpart, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher. In the traditional exchange of gifts during their meeting, Pope Francis presented Putin with a medallion that portrays an angel. The Pope—who has given the same medallion to other world leaders—told Putin: “It is an angel of peace that wins all wars and speaks of peace and solidarity between peoples.”
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Further information:
- Pope Francis meets Russia’s Vladimir Putin to talk Ukraine, Middle East (Crux)
- Pope urges Putin to commit to "sincere, great effort" for Ukraine peace (Reuters)
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Posted by: Gregory108 -
Jun. 10, 2015 9:15 PM ET USA
What gift did Putin give the Pope? Maybe a gold cross that Putin's old bosses in the KGB stole from a Ukrainian Catholic Church, before they bulldozed it or turned it into a museum, or from a Ukrainian Catholic bishop before they executed him or sent him to Siberia to die.
