Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky invited Pope Leo XIV to visit the war-hit nation after he said he held a “very warm and truly substantive” phone call with the new pontiff.“I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine.

Leo urged an end to the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. "I carry in my heart the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people," he said. "Let us do everything possible to reach a genuine, just and lasting peace as soon as possible. May all prisoners be freed and children be able to return to their families."