The head of the Catholic Church was invited by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the mayor of the city, Vitali Klitschko, along with Ukrainian religious leaders on March 8. At the time of the invitation, the Vatican had confirmed that it had received a letter saying that the Pope was praying for the Ukrainians, but made no reference to any travel plans. But when asked by a reporter on the plane that took him from Rome to Malta on Saturday if he thought of the invitation, Francis said: “Yes, he’s at the table.” He did not give further details. The invitation from the Ukrainian political leaders was supported by Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Catholic Church of the Byzantine Rite of Ukraine and the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Vatican, Andriy Yurash. Francis has previously described Vladimir Putin’s war as an “unwarranted attack” and denounced the “atrocities”, but said he would not mention Russia’s responsibility for the war. On Thursday, European Parliament President Roberta Metzola met with Zelensky in Kyiv to send a message that the EU would help rebuild the country after the war. The most popular visit to date, however, was made by the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia on March 16th. In a press conference after the meeting, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told Ukrainians: “Europe stands with you.” Pope Francis, 85, was visiting Malta on Saturday for a two-day trip in a bid to draw attention to the immigration crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. After landing, he used an elevator for the first time to get off the ITA aircraft on the asphalt. He was also sitting on his dad’s mobile during a tour of the island’s capital, Valletta. Francis has been suffering from a painful inflammation of the knee for months. More than 10.5 million people have been displaced either inside Ukraine or abroad as refugees, a total of about a quarter of the country’s population. An estimated 13 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance across the country. Metzola met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Ukrainian refugees on Saturday morning at the Otwock School in Warsaw. He said: “We are impressed by the efforts being made by Poland, its communities and its citizens. You have given people who need a safe and secure space. It is moving to see it – it’s the best in Europe. “However, Poland bears the brunt of the consequences of the war outside Ukraine. “As a result, we need more support in Poland and in other countries hosting people fleeing the war in Ukraine.”
