Pope Leo XIV is set to hold his first private meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, shortly after his installation mass, according to Vatican officials.
"The martyred Ukraine is waiting for negotiations for a just and lasting peace to finally happen," the pontiff stated prior to the scheduled meeting.
The Ukrainian President joined other global dignitaries, including royalty, political figures and religious leaders, at the ceremonial mass marking the commencement of Leo's papal tenure.
During the ceremony in St Peter's Square, Zelenskyy exchanged greetings with US Vice President JD Vance.
Following the mass, during his Regina Coeli prayer, Leo addressed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, noting that "in Gaza, children, families and elderly survivors are reduced to hunger".
He also highlighted the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, stating that "in Myanmar, new hostilities have destroyed innocent young lives".
Ten days after Robert Francis Prevost was elected pope, his papacy officially began with a ceremony at St. Peter's Square.
During the inauguration Mass of his pontificate at St Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV received the Ring of the Fisherman—also known as the Piscatory Ring—from Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation. The ceremony included several traditional customs and symbols marking the formal start of his papacy.
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