The mayor of Kiev, Vitaly Klitschko, wrote to the Pope on March 8 to ask him to travel to Kiev because his presence will be a strong gesture for peace.
If it is not possible, the mayor proposes another initiative: to hold a video conference, live or recorded, with the inhabitants of the Ukrainian capital.
He had launched this idea on different networks beginning March 5, inviting all the world religious leaders to visit Kiev.
VITALY KLITSCHKO
Mayor of Kiev
'Let us make Kiev the capital of humanity, spirituality, and peace'.
The Pope has wanted to visit Kiev for a long time. In 2018, he was already saying this to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic community in Rome when he went to visit them.
POPE FRANCIS
'I am here to tell you that I am close to you, close to your heart, close with prayer, close when I celebrate the Eucharist. I beg the Prince of Peace to silence the weapons there.'
To travel to Kiev would be logistically complicated, though not impossible. For the moment, Francis has already sent two cardinals to Ukraine to fulfill the function requested by the mayor: to show his closeness to the local population and to pray for peace.
JRB
