THE POPE’S PHONE KEEPS RINGING: AN APPEAL FOR OLESHKY
Food, care and a safe way for those who want to leave. In the phone call to Zelensky on October 19, Leo XIV reports attention to Oleshky's civilians. And on a peace that must begin with their needs.
There are huge words, such as peace. And there are the things from which that word must begin: to be able to eat, receive care, leave a dangerous place without risking your life. It is on these needs that Pope Leo XIV drew the attention of Volodymyr Zelensky, in the telephone interview of 19 October 2026.
What Leo XIV asked
The statement of the Holy See Press Office puts Oleshky at the centre of the Ukrainian region of Kherson. The Pope hoped that the cooperation between the parties would make it possible for food and health aid to arrive and for a voluntary and safe evacuation of civilians. He also recalled the call for a humanitarian truce already addressed to the Russian President.
The decisive step is precisely this: for assistance to reach people, it is necessary to cooperate with both sides. The press release reports a diplomatic initiative and its demands; it does not announce a truce already concluded nor an evacuation already carried out.
First Putin, then Zelensky
The call to the Ukrainian president follows the interview with Vladimir Putin on October 16. The thread that unites the two contacts is the humanitarian situation of the city. The Holy See has reaffirmed its commitment to dialogue and peace.
Why is it voluntary and safe?
These are two words to read without haste. Volunteering means respecting the choice of people; safe recalls their protection while moving. In the language of the communications may seem formulas. Instead, they concern the concrete possibility of leaving your home and facing a journey as a war continues around.
The proximity also passes from here
The thought of CHIARA! "We do not know the daily life of all the people who are in Oleshky. However, we can prevent a name on the map from becoming a background noise. Read carefully, distinguish an appeal from a result obtained, do not share images or news without verifying them: even our way of informing us can respect those who are suffering.
To continue: the Pope's return to the Angelus ↗ and how to organize a useful donation ↗.
