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Pope Condemns Escalating War, Offers Vatican Cease-Fire Talks

5/27/2026

Summary

Pope Leo Condemns War

Pope Leo XIV condemned the sharp intensification of the war and expressed solidarity with Ukrainian civilians during his May 27 weekly audience in Saint Peter's Square.
He cited the May 24 Russian strike on Kyiv that employed 690 aerial weapons, injured nearly 100 people and killed four.
He recalled an April call with President Volodymyr Zelensky and offered the Vatican as a venue for cease-fire negotiations.

Summary

Ukrainian Church Prays

Ukrainian Eastern Catholic Church began a prayer for its decade-long missionary plan during the Feast of the Ascension.
Parishes opened a fund drive to aid clergy and churches serving as hubs in war-affected zones.
May 23’s Ukrainian Heroes’ Day marked the 85th anniversary and began repatriating heroes’ remains.
Spain’s Eastern Catholic ordinariate, led by the Archbishop of Madrid, met clergy and laity, noting 36 priests in 78 parishes and a pilgrimage.

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Pope Leo Condemns War

Pope Leo XIV condemned the sharp intensification of the war and expressed solidarity with Ukrainian civilians during his May 27 weekly audience in Saint Peter's Square.
He cited the May 24 Russian strike on Kyiv that employed 690 aerial weapons, injured nearly 100 people and killed four.
He recalled an April call with President Volodymyr Zelensky and offered the Vatican as a venue for cease-fire negotiations.

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