Chernobyl cleanup crew members, grieving parents meet with Pontiff
April 30, 2026
At his April 29 general audience, Pope Leo XIV met with over 45 members of the nuclear cleanup crew who worked in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster.
The president of the Chernobyl-Fukushima Association, Andrii Kurchytskyi, thanked Pope Leo for recalling the 40th anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear disaster at his Sunday Regina Caeli address.
Pope Leo also met with priests from Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria who are studying in Rome and regularly gather to pray for peace; the Pontiff prayed for peace with them.
Among his other encounters at the audience, the Pope spoke with 40 grieving parents from Mamme come Maria (Mothers Like Mary), a diocesan organization in Sorrento-Castellammare di Stabia, Italy. The association has asked the Pontiff to institute a world day for parents who have experienced the loss of a child.
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