ROME – After presiding over his official installation Mass after his election to the papacy, Pope Leo XIV held a private meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, shortly after the two had a phone call amid ongoing ceasefire talks.

In remarks ahead of singing the Regia Coeli Marian prayer at the end of Sunday’s Mass, the pope voiced solidarity with those “who are suffering because of war.”

He specifically mentioned the conflict in Gaza, saying the children, families and elderly who have survived “are reduced to starvation,” while in Myanmar a fresh outbreak of hostility has caused an increase in casualties.

Leo also mentioned “war-torn Ukraine,” saying it “awaits negotiations for a just and lasting peace.”

After Mass, Pope Leo XIV had a brief handshake with Zelenskyy and his wife while greeting the various delegations and heads of state present. He then held a private meeting with Zelenskyy in his small office in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.

The meeting lasted roughly 30 minutes, however, the Vatican has provided no details about the content of the discussion, saying it was a private conversation.

Zelenskyy in a tweet sent during Sunday’s Mass voiced gratitude for the pope’s appeal for “a just peace and for the attention to Ukraine and our people.”

“Every nation deserves to live in peace and security,” he said, and congratulated Pope Leo XIV at the start “of this very special mission,” voicing hope that, “the prayers for a just peace and a life of dignity for all people be heard.”

The meeting between the two came a week after they had their first phone call, with Zelenskyy saying in a May 12 tweet that he had invited the newly-elected pontiff to visit Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said that while it was their first conversation, it was “already a very warm and truly substantive one.”

“I thanked His Holiness for his support of Ukraine and all our people. We deeply value his words about the need to achieve a just and lasting peace for our country and the release of prisoners. We also discussed the thousands of Ukrainian children deported by Russia,” he said, saying “Ukraine counts on the Vatican’s assistance in bringing them home to their families.”

He said he also informed Pope Leo about the agreement between Ukraine and its allies that “a full and unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days must begin.”

“I also reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness for further negotiations in any format, including direct talks – a position we have repeatedly emphasized. Ukraine wants to end this war and is doing everything to achieve that. We now await similar steps from Russia,” he said, and added that he had invited Pope Leo to visit.

On Sunday, May 11, in his first Regina Coeli address, the pope had prayed for peace in Ukraine, asking that “everything possible be done to reach an authentic, just and lasting peace, as soon as possible. Let all the prisoners be freed and the children return to their own families.”

Zelenskyy after meeting Pope Leo held talks with United States Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both of whom are Catholic and also attended Pope Leo’s installation Mass.

It was Zelenskyy and Vance’s first sit-down meeting since an explosive public meeting in the White House earlier this year that was also attended by U.S. President Donald Trump.

However, the day of Pope Francis’s funeral, Trump, who attended, had a private conversation with Zelenskyy in St. Peter’s Basilica to discuss peace efforts.

In a May 18 tweet, Zelenskyy defined the meeting with Vance and Rubio as “good,” saying, “we discussed negotiations in Istanbul to where the Russians sent a low level delegation of non-decision-makers.”

“I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible,” he said, saying they also touched on “the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoners exchange.”

He insisted on the need to pressure Russia “until they are eager to stop the war,” saying the joint commitment to achieving “a just and durable peace” was also discussed. He thanked the United States for its “support and leadership in saving lives.”

In his Regina Coeli remarks, Pope Leo asked for the Virgin Mary’s intercession in obtaining “the gift of peace, for support and comfort for those who suffer, and for the grace for all of us to be witnesses to the Risen Lord.”

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