Pope Francis received French President Emmanuel Macron for nearly one hour at the Vatican on Monday. The Holy See Press Office said the conversation centered on the war in Ukraine.
Newsroom (24/10/2022 11:36 PM, Gaudium Press) — The nearly hour-long private audience was Francis’ third with Macron since becoming pontiff. In a sign of their good relationship, the two used the informal French form of “you” in their conversation, according to the president’s office.
The Vatican in a brief statement, said that after Macron spoke with Francis, the French leader met with the Holy See’s secretary of state and its foreign minister.
“During the cordial discussions, which took place in the Secretariat of State, the parties focused on matters of an international nature, starting from the conflict in Ukraine, with special attention to the humanitarian situation,” the Vatican said. “Particular consideration was given to the region of the Caucasus, the Middle East, and Africa.”
A French presidency official indicated the focus on Ukraine was in line with Macron’s speech on Sunday evening to a peace-promoting forum, which Francis will address later this week. Macron used that speech to argue that it’s up to Ukraine to decide the moment and terms of peace to end the war.
In his talks with the pontiff, Macron underlined that besides efforts by nations, there is a need for religious dialogue. He encouraged the Catholic Church to play a role in helping Ukrainian and Russian peoples to talk to each other.
On Sunday, Macron decried that Russia was manipulating the Russian Orthodox church. He didn’t elaborate, but the Russian Orthodox patriarch, Kirill, is a fierce supporter of the Russian war against Ukraine.
Francis will go to the Colosseum on Tuesday to deliver a speech about peace at the same forum where Macron spoke. The three-day forum is organized by a Catholic charity close to the Vatican.
The pontiff frequently invokes the suffering of the Ukrainian people in his public comments about the war and has repeatedly pressed for talks to further the cause of peace. He also has voiced a strong desire to go to Ukraine, but logistical concerns have thwarted that ambition so far.
Earlier this year, Macron, along with Italy’s then-premier and Germany’s chancellor, travelled aboard a train to Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Macron is one of the few Western leaders who has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin multiple times, including on several occasions early in the war.
Accompanying Macron to the Vatican was his wife, Brigitte.
– Raju Hasmukh with files from Crux Now
