We Are Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 9, 2025 / 20:19 pm (CNA).

In an atmosphere of deep recollection and sadness, but also of hope, the funeral of Portuguese soccer players Diogo Jota of the Liverpool Football Club and his brother André Silva, who died last Thursday in a traffic accident in Zamora, Spain, was held on July 5. Jota’s marriage to Rute Cardoso had been solemnized in the Church just 11 days prior. They have three children.

At the funeral, which took place in the town of Gondomar’s main church on the outskirts of Porto, Portugal, the coffins were brought in as the church bells rang. The funeral was attended by several of Jota's teammates, including Liverpool F.C. captain Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Argentine Alexis MacAllister, Uruguayan Darwin Nuñez and coach Arne Slot.

Father Alípio Germano Barbosa, who was the pastor of the church in Gondomar for more than 18 years and who gave Diogo and André their First Communion, fondly recalled the time the brothers were part of his parish community.

"I lived here for 18 and a half years, and closely followed the human and Christian growth of these two young men, with great affection for them and their family," the priest who attended the funeral told AP.

"They were very well-behaved, humble, and courageous boys. In fact, following in the steps of their parents and grandparents, they were deeply connected to the local community and, naturally, participated in community life, the sacraments, Christian fellowship, and communion," Germano added.

Roberto Martínez, coach of the Portuguese national football team, told the press at the funeral: "These are very sad days, as you can imagine, but today we have shown that we are a large and united family."

"We are Portugal, and it was essential for us to be together and the world will be united, and his spirit will be with us forever. Thank you so much for your messages, for your support, and for everything we have received from all over the world. It means a lot, and today we are all a football family," he emphasized.

The bishop of Porto's homily at the brothers’ funeral

The funeral Mass for Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva was celebrated by the bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, who first addressed the children of the late Liverpool player who did not attend the funeral:

“Right now you're suffering immensely. Or maybe you're not, because you don't even realize the tragedy that has befallen your family. You will become aware of it later. And it will be terrible. But I will pray to Jesus for you.”

“The one who suffers deeply,” the prelate continued, “is your mother, Rute. She is heartbroken! Likewise, your grandparents, Isabel and Joaquim, and the rest of your family. Seeing before you a coffin containing the remains of a son must be the ultimate torment. But when it's not just one coffin, but two, belonging to two brothers... there are no words.”

“We are here to say that we too suffer greatly,” the bishop continued, "We are here with you emotionally…Yes, tears! It’s human! It would be a shame for us if we didn't.”

Linda encouraged having “faith and hope in the resurrection.” “This communion of life is achieved through baptism and good works…Your father, Diogo, was married in the Church 11 days before he died.”

After highlighting the importance of sports, the bishop of Porto said that “while it's sad to see an adult cry, it's even more painful when it's a child… I send a special greeting to your mother, your grandparents, and other family members. I am with you. Jesus is also with you.”

Liverpool F.C.'s tribute to Diogo Jota

In addition to retiring Diogo Jota's number 20 jersey, the Liverpool F.C. chartered a plane to accommodate those members who wished to travel to the funeral in Portugal.

This was confirmed by the Portuguese newspaper Record. Liverpool will keep Diogo Jota's contract in force and will pay his salary and all bonuses to his family.

The club decided to pay out the remaining two years of Diogo Jota's contract, meaning his widow, Rute Cardoso—whom he had married in the Church just 11 days before his death—and his three young children will receive the corresponding sum of more than €17 million ($19.9M)

English journalist Tom Harrington also said on X that Liverpool will establish a fund for the children of Diogo Jota and Rute Cardoso, specifically for their education.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Feast date: Jul 10

Beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1926, these eight Franciscan friars and three Maronite laymen were offered the choice of converting to Islam or suffering death in Damascus on July 9, 1860.

Thousands of Maronite Christians had already been killed by the Druz in Southern Lebanon in that year and the Druz, an offshoot sect of Shiite Islam, had turned their attention to Damascus where they killed nearly two thousand more.

When they had reached the Franciscan convent there, the superior, a spaniard named Fr. Emmanuel Ruiz, who had sheltered the Christians that lived around the convent inside the chapel, was threatened with death if he did not convert immediately.

He refused and they cut him to pieces and killed the rest of his community and the three Maronites who, refusing to flee with the other Christians, chose to die rather than deny their faith.

Feast date: Jul 10

St. Amalberga, otherwise Amelia, was born at Brabantrelated, and was in some way related to Pepin of Landen. Whether she was a sister or niece, the Bollandists are not sure. She was married to Witger and became the mother of three saints: Gudila, Reinelda, and Emembertus.

The Norman chroniclers speak of her as having been married twice, which seems to be erroneous. Nor are Pharailda and Ermelende admitted by the Bollandists to have been her children. She and her husband ultimately withdrew from the world; he becoming a monk, and she a nun. There is very great confusion in the records of this saint, and of a virgin who came a century after. To add to the difficulty a third St. Amalberga, also a virgin, appears in the twelfth century. The first two are celebrated simultaneously on July 10.

She died in 690 and is buried beside her husband at the Lobbes monastery. Her relics have been in Saint Peter's abbey church in Ghent, Belgium since 1073. She is known to protect people against arm pain, bruises, and fever.

In art she is represented holding a palm and open book with a crown at her feet, standing on a giant sturgeon or other fish.

London, England, Jul 9, 2025 / 18:55 pm (CNA).

For the first time in modern history, the apostolic nuncio to the United Kingdom has celebrated Mass in England’s most celebrated Anglican cathedral.

On Monday, July 7, which marked the feast of the Translation of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía celebrated the holy sacrifice of the Mass at Canterbury Cathedral with hundreds in attendance, including the Vatican’s cricket team.

During his homily, Maury Buendía said: “This Mass of pilgrimage takes place within the context of the jubilee year. It highlights the Christian life as a spiritual journey, moving through life’s trials and joys with hope anchored in Christ. Having traveled as pilgrims today, we do more than just honor a figure from history.”

He continued: “The stained-glass windows all around us illustrate the many miracles attributed to St. Thomas in the medieval period. This should be a living story, too. Our world, today as then, is in need of hope. We come in this jubilee year as ‘pilgrims of hope’ to be inspired by St. Thomas’ holiness and his courageous witness to Christ and his Church.”

Those in attendance on Monday also received a plenary indulgence because of the jubilee year and its customs.

While it is traditional for the Catholic Parish of St. Thomas of Canterbury to celebrate Mass at the cathedral every year on July 7, this is the first time the apostolic nuncio has presided.

St. Thomas Becket served as archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until he was murdered in 1170 by supporters of King Henry II, who clashed with Thomas over his defense of the Church and its rights.

Thomas was canonized soon after his death by Pope Alexander III and in 1220 his body was translated, or moved, from the cathedral’s crypt to the shrine behind the altar. It is believed that a papal legate was present at the time.

The crypt was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1538 in an attempt to suppress allegiance to St. Thomas Becket.

In correspondence with CNA on Wednesday, July 9, Father David Palmer, a member of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham (and a former Anglican priest), reflected on the significance of the event.

“Canterbury Cathedral is often referred to as the home of Anglicanism, the mother Church of the Anglican Communion. This obscures the fact that it is also (and originally) the mother Church of Catholicism in England. The seat of St. Augustine of Canterbury, the first archbishop of Canterbury, sent by Pope Gregory to bring the (Roman) Catholic faith to the ‘Angles,’” he said.

“For those of us who have made the journey from Anglicanism back to Rome this is an event of special significance and joy.”

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 9, 2025 / 18:25 pm (CNA).

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has confirmed that the Catholic Church will not endorse political candidates for public office in any elections, despite a tax code change that has opened the door for houses of worship to make such endorsements.

On July 7, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) signed a court agreement to allow churches and other houses of worship to endorse candidates without risking their tax-exempt status. This reversed a 70-year ban that was in place based on the IRS’ interpretation of the “Johnson Amendment,” which prohibits nonprofits in the tax bracket from engaging in political campaigns.

USCCB Director of Public Affairs Chieko Noguchi, however, released a statement this week to announce that the Catholic Church will not be endorsing political candidates, even if the tax code allows it.

“The IRS was addressing a specific case, and it doesn’t change how the Catholic Church engages in public debate,” Noguchi said.

“The Church seeks to help Catholics form their conscience in the Gospel so they might discern which candidates and policies would advance the common good,” she added. “The Catholic Church maintains its stance of not endorsing or opposing political candidates.”

Noguchi told CNA that if an individual member of the clergy were to endorse a candidate, “this is a matter that is best handled by the local bishop.”

Christopher Check, the president of Catholic Answers, told CNA that the USCCB’s decision to avoid endorsements is “a wise one for our time and place.”

“The Church is not one of several political organizations or NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] competing for public opinion on the cultural and civic playing fields,” Check added. “She is the primary and divine institution through which all that public activity must be understood.”

Check pointed out that avoiding endorsements is consistent with the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which he explained “[prohibits] clergy from engaging in active participation in political parties except in cases where the rights of the Church are threatened or the ‘promotion of the common good requires it,’ and then only in the judgment of ‘competent ecclesiastical authority.’”

There have been situations historically in which clergy rightly engaged in political campaigns, such as when Marxist parties in some countries sought to “eradicate the Church,” according to Check. Yet he also cautioned that there have been times in which members of the clergy have “misled the faithful” by involving themselves in campaigns.

“Today in the United States, neither political party offers a platform that would serve as a foundation for a true home for faithful Catholics,” Check said. “As such, the obligation for the clergy and the episcopacy to form the consciences of the faithful rightly is especially critical. It is in this realm that the Church, who very much in a sense is above partisan politics, is called to operate.”

Susan Hanssen, a history professor at the University of Dallas (a Catholic institution), told CNA she believes the IRS policy to not penalize churches for political endorsements is “wise” but said the USCCB commitment to not endorse candidates “is also prudent.”

“The IRS policy is wise to leave broad leeway to religious leaders to offer guidance, even on political matters that could shape the moral and cultural atmosphere within which religious life takes place,” Hanssen said.

Hanssen added that the Church hierarchy and the clergy can still be vocal on political issues that implicate Church teaching, noting that they “should give clear principles of action” but that “it is the moral responsibility of the laity to potentially apply those principles.” 

She added that clergy should also help correct Catholic politicians whose policies do not conform to “the principles of natural law, for example, with regard to abortion, parental rights over their children’s education and medical care, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage.” 

“Thus their action would be appropriately pastoral, rather than political — a concern for souls,” Hanssen said.

Ryan Tucker, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, told CNA that the IRS decision could still have an impact on churches that do not endorse candidates, saying those entities have a “constitutional right to speak freely” and the IRS change ensures “they can do so more boldly” now.

“The government shouldn’t be able to threaten a church with financial penalties based on a requirement that the church self-censor and surrender its constitutionally protected freedom,” he said. “Pastors and clergy members have been engaged in matters of the day that affect the members of their church body since our founding.”

Vatican City, Jul 9, 2025 / 17:21 pm (CNA).

The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith granted a “nihil obstat” — that is, nothing stands in the way — of Marian devotion surrounding the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary on Mount Zvir near the village of Litmanová in northwestern Slovakia from 1990 to 1995 — without recognizing their supernatural character.

The letter, signed by the dicastery’s prefect, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, and addressed to Archbishop Jonáš Jozef Maxim, hierarch of the Archeparchy of Prešov for Byzantine-rite Catholics, recognizes the pastoral value of the phenomenon and authorizes public worship without commenting on the supernatural authenticity of the apparitions.

The cardinal stated in the letter, published by the Vatican dicastery, that the discernment has taken into account “the many spiritual fruits” borne from this phenomenon.

The decision responds to the formal request by Maxim, who in letters sent to the Vatican in February and May highlighted “the countless sincere and heartfelt confessions and conversions experienced by pilgrims, which continue to take place at the shrine, despite the alleged apparitions ending three decades ago. The Slovak prelate also highlighted the constant flow of pilgrims who have continued to come to the site, manifesting an ongoing experience of faith.

Fernández noted several messages attributed to the Virgin that offer invitations to conversion, joy, and inner freedom. One of the most cited texts exhorts: “Let Jesus set you free. Let Jesus set you free. And do not allow your enemy to limit your freedom, for which Jesus shed so much blood. A soul that is free is the soul of a child” (Dec. 5, 1993).

On several occasions, the Marian figure presents herself as “happy” and repeats expressions of unconditional love: “I love you, just as you are. I love you. I love you! I want you to be happy, but this world will never make you happy” (Aug. 7, 1994). The faithful are also invited to live a simple and profound spirituality: “Begin to live simply, to think simply, and to act simply. Seek out silence so that the Spirit of Christ may be born anew within you” (June 5, 1994).

Some ambiguities

However, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith recognized that “some messages contain ambiguities or unclear formulations,” such as one that suggests that that nearly all people in one part of the world are condemned or one that states that “the cause of all illness is sin.”

These messages have not been deemed acceptable by the Vatican for publication. However, the Argentine cardinal recalled in the letter that, as early as 2011, a doctrinal commission dedicated to investigating these apparitions explained that the alleged visionaries did not hear messages in human language but rather had inner experiences that they then attempted to translate, which explains certain inaccuracies or personal interpretations.

For this reason, the cardinal of the Roman Curia asked the archbishop of Prešov to publish a compilation of these messages, excluding any statements that could lead to confusion or disturb the faith of ordinary people.

The Vatican made it clear that the “nihil obstat” does not equate to the recognition of supernatural intervention, but it does permit public worship and that the faithful can “safely approach this spiritual offering,” whose contents can help them live the Gospel of Christ more deeply.

A living shrine

Mount Zvir, less than two miles from the village of Litmanová, has been a place of pilgrimage for years, especially for those of the Byzantine rite. Three children were present at the alleged apparitions, which began on Aug. 5, 1990: Ivetka Korcáková, Katka Ceselková, and Mitko Ceselka.

This step by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is possible thanks to the new norms on supernatural phenomena, published in May 2024, which provide for varying degrees of discernment, from “nihil obstat” to negative judgments, allowing for a more flexible assessment of the spiritual experiences of communities.

Since they came into force just over a year ago, it is the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and not the local bishop that pronounces on these events, and the Catholic Church’s discernment process no longer ends “with a declaration of ‘supernaturalitate’ [supernaturalness]” of the events.

The objective of the reform of the regulations, approved by Pope Francis, was to prevent fraud and scams that take advantage of the goodwill of the faithful.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Madrid, Spain, Jul 9, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

At the foot of the shrine in Covadonga located in the Asturias province of Spain — where the Reconquista began centuries ago — more than 1,700 young Catholics from 28 countries gathered recently for the second consecutive year for the Marian Eucharistic Youth Day (JEMJ, by its Spanish acronym), with the firm resolve to undertake a new “reconquest”: that of hearts.

The “Reconquista” (reconquest) refers to a series of battles over the course of centuries that in 1492 eventually ended the eighth-century Moorish conquest of Spain. The Battle of Covadonga (about 720) is considered the start of the Reconquista when Christian forces in Asturias defeated the Muslim invaders. 

On the afternoon of July 4, an atmosphere of joy, singing, hugs, and reunions enveloped the surroundings of the Holy Cave and the majestic basilica, nestled in the imposing mountain landscape of the Picos de Europa. With backpacks, banners, and rosaries in hand, the first pilgrims began to arrive, ready for three days of an intense faith-filled experience.

Under the motto “I will give you a new heart,” young people participated in Masses, Eucharistic adoration, talks, Eucharistic workshops, catechesis, and even a festival in a deeply spiritual yet festive atmosphere, where the hope of a generation that has not renounced living its faith was felt.

At the heart of this youth gathering — which is becoming a key event during Catholic summer activities in Spain — are the Virgin Mary and the Eucharist. Sister Beatriz Liaño of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother religious order and media liaison for JEMJ, shared a revealing anecdote with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

“There were so many young people who wanted to spend the evening adoring the Blessed Sacrament at the shrine that the priests decided to also expose the sacrament on the esplanade so everyone could participate.”

The En Marcha (on the move) JEMJ association, promoter of the initiative, made the event possible with the indispensable help of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, who quietly serve, and more than 200 volunteers.

For Liaño, the JEMJ is not just a youth event: “It’s something precious, a gift from the Virgin Mary to her son, Jesus. I believe that the heart of the Mother has called all these young people together to offer them, with total respect for their freedom, a personal encounter with the living Christ in the Eucharist, capable of transforming their lives.”

Bishop Juan Carlos Elizalde of Vitoria, Spain, celebrated the opening Mass on Friday evening. More than 30 priests concelebrated.

“There is a promise of happiness in the depths of your heart, and you are on pilgrimage because you refuse to resign yourself to vegetating. You leave your home in search of happiness: a new heart, a full life,” the prelate told the young people during his homily.

Elizalde also invited the young people to reflect on what the Lord is “shouting out” to them: “We are all called; there is no one without a vocation. The Lord calls us all by name. It’s not a question of consecrated life or priesthood, it is a question of happiness, it is a question of a new heart.”

‘Reconquering what is worthwhile’

Archbishop Jesús Sanz Montes of Oviedo was also present at the event. Speaking with ACI Prensa, he recalled the words of Pope Benedict XVI during the 2005 World Youth Day in Cologne: “Looking at these youths so healthy, so hopeful, the Church is alive and the Church is young.”

For the prelate, going to Covadonga is “going up to a particularly blessed place, because here a people is born, a Christian people, and here in Mary we find a reason for hope.” He also emphasized that “we must beat with the heart of Jesus Christ.”

In his homily during the closing Mass on Sunday, July 6, Sanz invited the young people to “reconquer what is worthwhile, that which gives glory to God as Father and allows us to recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters in Jesus, his son, to proclaim the Christian good news with the power of the Holy Spirit.”

He also warned about pornography, a “deception” that “kills the soul and perverts the gaze, stealing the outlook of purity and hope.”

Presence of relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis

During the three days of the event, participants had the opportunity to pray before the relic of the heart of Carlo Acutis, the soon-to-be “millennial saint” who continues to guide the new generation of young people and show them that holiness is a goal that is possible.

Minutes before the start of JEMJ, a video message from Antonia Salzano, Carlo Acutis’ mother, was shown to the young participants. In the video, she confided to them what her son’s secret to attain holiness was: “Carlo’s secret to being a saint was: Carlo went to Mass every day, did Eucharistic adoration every day, read sacred Scripture every day, and, above all, he prayed the rosary every day, which Carlo said are exorcisms we perform for ourselves.”

Carlos Leret, international delegate of the Friends of Carlo Acutis Association, explained to ACI Prensa outside the basilica that Acutis “is an ordinary saint who challenges [people] to holiness” and emphasized that young people “love to be challenged.”

Also present at the opening of the event was Friar Marco Gaballo, rector of the Shrine of the Dispossession in Assisi, Italy, and custodian of the relic of Carlo Acutis’ heart. Speaking to ACI Prensa, he described Covadonga as “a place of faith” and expressed his gratitude for the warm reception of the relic: “It has been received with such enthusiasm and such affection… it’s been very beautiful.”

For the Franciscan, testimonies like those of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati — who will both be canonized Sept. 7 in Rome — “are sources of inspiration” for today’s youth.

In addition, the “protector saints” of JEMJ 2025 were the 11 “Martyrs of Damascus,” eight Franciscan friars and three lay brothers murdered on the night of July 9-10, 1860. These martyrs sought the strength to go through their martyrdom in the Eucharist.

‘Make the most of your youth’

Nuria Leal, a young woman from Valencia, Spain, was in charge of presenting the JEMJ events with her brother, Nacho. “It’s a very great responsibility, but also a very great grace,” she shared with ACI Prensa.

The young laywoman, a member of the Home of the Mother, said with conviction that she is already seeing the spiritual fruits of the gathering in her own life: “It’s a weekend in which everything is designed so that the Lord constantly touches your heart. Every talk, every prayer, every workshop… the Lord uses it to enter your heart.”

“For me, it’s a rekindling of my faith, it’s a waking up and making good use of the youth that the Lord has given us, which is such a wonderful gift,” she added. “It’s discovering it in the Eucharist and bringing it to other young people who may never have heard this great message: that Jesus is alive in the Eucharist, that the Virgin Mary awaits us, she is our mother, and we are so fortunate.”

The musical ‘A Famous Nun’

On the evening of July 4, the musical “A Famous Nun” premiered on the shrine’s esplanade, based on the life of Sister Clare Crockett, a nun who died in an earthquake in Ecuador in 2016.

Crockett, originally from Ireland, died at the age of 34 as a missionary for the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother. Her life changed on Good Friday in 2000, at the age of 17, when she discovered the Lord’s call for her life, despite having dreamed of being recognized for her acting talent since childhood: “My God, I have a vocation! But I want to be famous... So I told myself: I’ll be a famous nun.”

The play was presented by Catholic Stuff, a YouTube project for youth evangelization, “characterized by a mix of humor, profound ideas, and sound doctrine.”

A few hours before the performance began, the star of the performance, Ana, excitedly shared the details of the show. “It will be successful thanks to the Lord’s help,” she assured.

For this young Spanish woman, Crockett taught that “you have to ask God what he wants from you. The Lord is merciful, and no matter what your past life may be, he will always welcome you in his mercy.”

Regarding last year’s JEMJ, in which she participated as a member of the choir, she highlighted drawing close to the Eucharist and her desire to continue her apostolate, especially “seeing the faith of so many young people and so many changed lives.”

As for herself, Leal said Crockett is very present in her life: “She has always been an example of dedication, of giving 110%. She had migraines, she was tired, but it never showed, and she never said no. She always said ‘everything for souls,’ so we can also say that here in Covadonga: everything for souls.”

The Virgin Mary’s care

Mateo Gratacós, 18, is one of the more than 200 volunteers who made the event possible for the second consecutive year. “You spend a weekend here and have a great time, because there’s a great atmosphere. I came back because I wanted to relive last year’s experience. Volunteering is worth it, even when the going gets tough,” he told ACI Prensa.

“It’s true that some people say young people have less faith, or that we’re constantly on social media, and that gets a lot of attention. But here we have thousands of young people who believe in God and the Virgin Mary, who have traveled from all over to come to Covadonga, and that demonstrates that it’s not true,” he said.

Finally, he turned his gaze to the Holy Cave to remind people that “the Virgin is our mother; you feel her presence here; the way she takes care of you is very powerful. There are things that are like direct messages from her, and that’s amazing. For me, that’s what Our Lady of Covadonga is, a mother.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 9, 2025 / 15:07 pm (CNA).

On Wednesday Pope Leo XIV took time out from his summer vacation in Castel Gandolfo to receive the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It was the second time the two have met after exchanging greetings at the Vatican on May 18 in the context of the Mass inaugurating Pope Leo’s pontificate.

According to an official statement from the Holy See, the two leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and “the urgency of pursuing just and lasting paths of peace.”

During the meeting, held behind closed doors, the importance of dialogue was reiterated “as the best avenue for ending hostilities.”

The pope expressed his profound sorrow for the victims of the Russia-Ukraine war and renewed his spiritual closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging all efforts aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions.

Leo XIV also reaffirmed the Holy See’s willingness to receive representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican with a view to possible peace negotiations. The audience lasted approximately 30 minutes.

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude on X for the meeting and for “a very substantive conversation” with the Holy Father. “We value all the support and every prayer for peace in Ukraine,” he added.

Regarding the proposal for meetings between leaders from both sides of the conflict to be held at the Vatican, he confirmed that “it remains open and entirely possible, with the goal of stopping Russian aggression and achieving a stable, lasting, and genuine peace.”

However, he lamented that, currently, “only Moscow continues to reject this proposal, as it has turned down all other peace initiatives.”

“We will continue to strengthen global solidarity so that diplomacy can still succeed,” he added.

He also noted that he especially thanked Pope Leo for his support for Ukrainian children, “particularly those returned from Russian captivity.”

“Ukrainian children now have the opportunity for rehabilitation and rest in Italy, and such hospitality and sincerity are extremely important. Today, we also discussed the Vatican’s continued efforts to help return Ukrainian children abducted by Russia,” he noted.

He also explained that he spoke with the pontiff about the “the deep respect that Ukrainian society holds for Andrey Sheptytskyy — his actions, including the rescue of Jews during the Second World War and his defense of the Christian faith.”

Archbishop Andrey Sheptysky was a leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from 1900 to 1944, who, at the risk of his own life, saved hundreds of Jews during the Nazi occupation and worked for Christian unity.

“We hope that Metropolitan Sheptytsky’s contribution and merits will receive the recognition they deserve,” the president said.

International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine

Zelenskyy’s visit to Rome is part of the Fourth International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine to be held in the Italian capital July 10–11.

This is a series of international conferences aimed at mobilizing diplomatic, financial, strategic, and political support for the country’s recovery following the Russian invasion that began in February 2022.

The meeting will be opened tomorrow by Zelenskyy and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The event brings together heads of state and government from 77 countries and a total of 1,800 attendees, including representatives of 500 companies.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.