ROME – On Tuesday Vatican Secretary of State Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of a 6-day visit to the country, stressing his closeness to the people and the need to work for peace.

In a brief video published on the social media accounts of Zelenskyy’s office, the president, speaking in broken English, thanked Parolin for finding time to visit not just Kyiv, “but you’ve been to some of our cities, saw people, and I think it’s a good signal from the Vatican. Thank you for this support.”

He also thanked Pope Francis for his words at the G7 summit in Puglia last month, where the pontiff became the first pope to ever address a G7 summit, speaking on the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence.

“Please (give) best regards to His Holiness from us, and thank you for your own participation in the peace summit,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the June 15-16 Summit on Peace in Ukraine that took place in Switzerland.

“That was the first step, only the first step, or already the first step. All these steps are important for us, and it’s important that you support it, and I heard your words,” Zelenskyy said, saying, “I think all of us understand that we have to finish the war as soon as possible, not to lose people’s lives.”

Parolin in his own remarks thanked Zelenskyy for receiving him and recalled a previous visit he made to Ukraine in 2021 for the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.

“It was a really important visit I think, as an expression of the closeness and proximity of the Holy Father to Ukraine,” Parolin said, and recalled statements Pope Francis has made on Ukraine and its ongoing war with Russia.

“You know what are the feelings and which are the attitude of the Holy Father toward your country, especially on the issue of the war, the war going on in Ukraine, but I think that it was also important to be present here and to pay a visit,” he said.

Parolin noted that he had celebrated Mass for the conclusion of the annual pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Berdychiv, calling the event “a very, very moving experience, so many people even though the number of people was reduced because of the war, but so many people prayed for peace.”

After the meeting, Parolin was then given the Order of Merit award for his “outstanding personal contribution” for his role in developing bilateral relations between the Holy See and Ukraine, and for his support of Ukraine amid the war with Russia.

In a July 23 post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Ukrainian Ambassador to the Holy See Andrii Yurash said Parolin’s meeting with Zelenskyy was “Just the next step in development of very positive and fruitful cooperation between Ukraine and Apostolic Capital” of the Vatican.

Parolin is currently closing a July 19-24 trip to Ukraine that marks his first official visit since Russia’s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine, and the full-on war it sparked. He had previously visited Ukraine in June 2016, and he also attended events in Kyiv related to the 30th anniversary of the restoration of Ukrainian independence in August 2021.

During his visit, Parolin met with the Latin bishops of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lviv, and he also traveled to the southern port city of Odesa, located just off the Black Sea, making it a key strategic city for Ukraine.

Given its location, Odesa has been a prime target of Russian shelling and airstrikes since the beginning of the war in 2022. The city came under heavy Russian fire in the spring and is still a target of regular attacks, with Russia in recent weeks resuming drone and missile attacks in the area.

On Sunday Parolin celebrated the closing Mass for the annual pilgrimage to the famed Marian shrine of Berdychiv in the Zhytomyr region, the largest Catholic Shrine of Latin rite in Ukraine, where he venerated the icon of the Mother of God and told Ukrainians to never lose faith or hope for peace.

Parolin during his trip visited the Greek Catholic cathedral of Kyiv and met with Greek Ukrainian Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk. He also visited the pediatric Okhmatdyt hospital in Kyiv that was recently bombed, getting a tour of the wings that have been reopened and speaking with parents and the young patients there.

He met with the Head of Ukrainian Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk and representatives of the Parliamentary Group of friendship between Ukraine and the Holy See, and with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

A statement from Zelenskyy’s office on his meeting with Parolin said the cardinal’s visit was “a strong signal from the Vatican.”

Zelenskyy, the statement said, thanked Parolin for his support and for participating in the peace summit in Switzerland, saying, “This is the first step towards peace, all steps are valuable. It is important that you also support it. We all understand that we have to finish this path as soon as possible so as not to lose human lives.”

The two discussed the decisions of the Switzerland peace summit and the Holy See’s role in promoting “a just and sustainable peace” for Ukraine.

Mention was also made of the G7 summit, with Zelenskyy thanking Pope Francis “for his prayers for peace for Ukraine and calls for the return of Ukrainian prisoners home.”

Zelenskyy and Parolin, according to the statement, also discussed in detail the consequences of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and the “constant air terror” they live with, including the bombing of the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, and the humanitarian situation on the ground.

The Vatican did not release a statement following Parolin’s meeting with Zelenskyy, however, a post from the Secretariat of State’s account on X stated that Parolin during the conversation “reiterated the pope’s closeness and commitment to finding a just and lasting peace for martyred Ukraine.”

Follow Elise Ann Allen on X: @eliseannallen