...By Dorcas Funmi for TDPel Media.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in a private 30-minute encounter on April 27, 2023.
Following the meeting, Shmyhal briefed journalists and announced that he had asked the pope for his help in getting back the abducted Ukrainian children who had been forcibly deported to Russia.
Shmyhal has also reportedly invited the pope to visit Ukraine.
The Ukrainian government estimates that nearly 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea since the Moscow invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, though Russia denies these claims and insists the children were taken for their own safety.
Shmyhal also met with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Foreign Minister Archbishop Richard Gallagher, where they discussed the war in Ukraine and efforts to restore peace.
The conversation also touched on the life and activity of the Church amidst the war in Ukraine.
This is not the first time that Shmyhal has met with Pope Francis.
They last met at the Vatican in March 2021, amid clashes between Ukraine and Russia in the Donbas region.
Shmyhal has been the prime minister of Ukraine since March 2020.
Help from the Pope
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has turned to Pope Francis for help in retrieving abducted children who have been criminally deported to Russia.
According to the Ukrainian government, nearly 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea since the Moscow invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The abduction of children by Russia has long been a contentious issue in Ukraine, and has been a source of tension between the two countries.
By turning to the Pope for help, Shmyhal is seeking to draw global attention to the issue and put pressure on Russia to release the abducted children.
The Pope is a respected global figure who can use his influence to raise awareness of the situation and put pressure on the parties involved to work towards a resolution.
It remains to be seen what the Pope’s response will be and what impact it will have on the situation in Ukraine.
