Zelenskyy meets with Pope Francis at Vatican, says he sought backing for his peace plan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had private talks with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday, later saying he sought support for his peace plan from the pontiff, who in the past has offered to try to help end the war launched by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

Zelenskyy held his hand over his heart and said it was a “great honor” to meet with the pope. Francis, using a cane for his knee problem, came to greet the Ukrainian president before ushering him into a papal studio near the Vatican’s audience hall. “Thank you for your visit,″ Francis said, as their 40-minute-long meeting began.

In a tweet after the papal audience, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Francis for “his personal attention to the tragedy of millions of Ukrainians.” He said he spoke with the pontiff “about the tens of thousands of deported (Ukrainian) children. We must make every effort to return them home.”

Last month, Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, asked the pope to help get the children returned from Russia to Ukraine. But the Vatican’s written statement after Saturday’s talks made no mention of the request for help for the children.

Instead, the Vatican said the two men spoke about Ukraine’s “humanitarian and political situation provoked by the war going on.″

“The pope assured his constant prayer, paid witness to by his many public appeals and by his continued invoking of the Lord for peace, since February of last year,″ the Vatican said, a reference to the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, by Russia’s military.

“Both agreed on the need to continue humanitarian efforts” to help the population, the Holy See’s statement added. “The pope underlined in particular the urgent need for ‘humanitarian gestures’ toward the most fragile persons, innocent victims of the conflict,” the statement…