Pope Francis and the art of diplomacy in Ukraine

On May 13, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Pope Francis to discuss the war. This surprising visit was preceded by the pope’s announcement weeks earlier that he is engaged in a “secret” mission to end the conflict. 

Returning from a visit to Hungary, the pope told reporters, “I believe that peace is always made by opening channels; peace can never be made by closure.”  

At the start of the war, Pope Francis seemingly went out of his way to placate Vladimir Putin. He deplored the “barking of NATO at Russia’s doors,” saying, “I can’t say if (Russia’s) anger was provoked, but facilitated, maybe yes.” 

Today, Francis rejects Russia’s characterization of the invasion as a “special military operation,” and condemns it as “an absurd and cruel war” which sows death, destruction and misery. The pope has demanded that Putin “stop this spiral of violence and death,” and invokes the vivid imagery of a “martyred Ukraine.” 

Hoping to serve as a mediator, Pope Francis has sought a meeting with Vladimir Putin but his requests have gone unanswered. The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has publicly stated that any summit between the two leaders is “not necessary.” 

Zelensky says he appreciates the Pope’s willingness to be an intermediary. But the pontiff has warned Zelensky that any unconditional Russian surrender would be “built on rubble” and “can never be a true victory.” 

Zelensky rejects this idea, telling the Pope: “The war is in Ukraine, and therefore the plan [for peace] has to be Ukrainian.” After meeting with the pope, he tweeted, “there can be no equality between the victim and the aggressor.” 

While Francis has called upon Zelensky to “be open” to legitimate peace proposals, Zelensky responded, “With all due respect for His Holiness, we don’t need a mediator between Ukraine and the aggressor that’s seized and occupied our territory.” 

Veteran Vatican watcher John Allen maintains that Francis’s nuanced statements about the war “seem almost deliberately calculated to keep people guessing.” One reason is that most Russians and Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians, and any papal involvement to end the conflict could widen the nearly 1,000-year schism between the Russian Orthodox Church and Rome. For nearly a decade, Pope Francis has sought to repair relations and unify the two churches. But the rupture confounds the pope’s diplomatic initiatives, and he may have complicated matters further by recently warning the Russian Orthodox leader not to become “Putin’s altar boy.” 

Another reason for the guesswork behind Francis’s statements is that he is the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere whose Catholics often reject the Cold War paradigm of West vs. East through which the United States and NATO view the Ukrainian conflict. Moreover, Francis knows that Latin America, Africa and Asia form an ever-larger component of the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics while declining church attendance in Europe reflects that region’s steady erosion of the Catholic populace. By 2025, only 1 in 5 Catholics worldwide will be a non-Hispanic Caucasian. 

Historically, the Holy See has played an essential role in resolving seemingly intractable conflicts — most notably, the efforts by St. John Paul II to end the Cold War. His historic trip to Poland in 1979 marked the beginning of the end of the Polish communist regime. A decade later, the Berlin Wall fell, Eastern Europe was liberated, and two years after that, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. 

This was the ultimate triumph of Vatican diplomacy, aided by the enduring partnership John Paul II formed with President Ronald Reagan, who became a willing partner in helping the Vatican defeat what Reagan memorably called an “evil empire.” 

Meeting with the pope in 1982, Reagan declared, “As a people and as a government, we seek to pursue the same goals of peace, freedom and humanity along political and economic lines that the Church pursues in its spiritual role.” 

Announcing the establishment of diplomatic ties with the Holy See in 1984, White House spokesman Larry Speakes, said of John Paul II, “We admire the courageous stands he takes in defense of Western values.” 

As the war in Ukraine increasingly resembles the interminable trench warfare of World War I, there is a growing consensus that the conflict must end. The improbability of total victory by either side has spurred cries for a negotiated settlement. Hoping to rekindle past diplomatic triumphs, Francis has actively positioned himself to be a neutral arbiter who can mediate a final settlement between the warring parties.  

In 2022, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, outlined the Vatican’s diplomatic initiatives regarding Ukraine: 

“First, the religious level is to invite insistent prayer so that God may give peace to that tormented land and to involve believers in this choral prayer. Then there is the humanitarian aspect, especially through Caritas and the dioceses, which are very committed to welcoming refugees who come from Ukraine. And then there is the availability of diplomatic initiatives. We have offered, as the pope said, the willingness of the Holy See to help in all ways to be able to stop the weapons and violence and negotiate a solution. And various attempts are taking place around the world.” 

After more than a year of death and destruction, the Vatican believes the third stage is drawing nigh. But after Zelensky’s visit to the Vatican, Pope Francis’s insistent prayer to serve as an instrument for peace remains unanswered.  

John Kenneth White is a professor of Politics at The Catholic University of America. His latest book, co-authored with Matthew Kerbel, is titled, “American Political Parties: Why They Formed, How They Function, and Where They’re Headed.” He can be reached at johnkennethwhite.com.