Pope Francis received the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, at the Apostolic Palace.
It was a solemn visit. And Pope Francis did not joke as usual despite his closeness with the Ukranian people.
The Prime Minister presented the Pope with three gifts: a reproduction of a ceramic jar that survived the bombing of Kyiv, grain from Ukraine and a photo album that depicted the impact of the war.
It shows the suffering of the Ukrainian people in the face of war.
Pope Francis was very somber while looking at the images.
The Pope gifted the Prime Minister a bronze sculpture representing peace.
A fragile flower.
He also gave the Prime Minister this year's message of peace, a document on human fraternity and the book, “An Encyclical on Peace in Ukraine.”
After his meeting with Pope Francis, the Prime Minister met with the Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. They discussed the war, humanitarian aid and efforts to restore peace and protect the work of the Church in Ukraine.
RM
TR: OJ
