By Rostyslav Averchuk<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lviv (EFE).- The rhetoric and first steps of Pope Leo XIV on the war in Ukraine have ignited optimism in the country. The country sees the new pontiff as a potential ally in the Vatican as Kyiv strives to bolster international pressure on Moscow to halt its invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many hope Leo\u2019s moral clarity and active approach towards helping achieve peace will galvanize global support, including in the United States and Latin America, at a time when Ukraine finds itself under pressure from the US to make concessions to Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A shift in tone<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI liked that the Pope recognizes Russia as an aggressor,\u201d Olha Kryvytska, a 35-year-old translator from Lviv, told EFE, citing his remarks as a bishop in Peru. Labeling the war \u201cimperialist\u201d and defining Russia\u2019s territorial ambitions as its cause, Leo has taken a clearer stance than his predecessor, Pope Francis, whose ambiguity frustrated many Ukrainians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrancis spoke as if Russia and Ukraine were equally to blame or called us ‘brothers,’ which we never were,\u201d Kryvytska said, echoing a widespread sentiment that Francis failed to leverage his influence among Christians to help Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a shared view in Ukraine that Leo\u2019s stance could become less explicit and more neutral in his role as a Pope. However, many have high hopes for the new Pope, based on his first steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe understands what is happening, that Ukraine is a victim of aggression of an imperialist power,\u201d Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Parliament\u2019s Foreign Affairs Committee, told EFE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pope has already made it clear that true peace cannot be \u201ca capitulation to evil\u201d and \u201cequate the victim and aggressor,\u201d Bishop Sviatoslav, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), wrote in an opinion piece for \u201cUkrainska Pravda\u201d last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe words of the new Pontiff about ‘a true, just and lasting peace’ for Ukraine were very important to us,\u201d he underlined, referring to the Pope\u2019s first Sunday prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moral leadership as a tool<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though Pope Francis may have adopted a neutral tone towards Russia to facilitate prisoner exchanges, \u201ca clear distinction between good and evil is the Vatican\u2019s greatest tool,\u201d Danylo Lubkivskyi, former deputy foreign minister, wrote for the media of the UGCC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukrainians view the pope as a moral leader rather than a diplomat, and want to hear clear moral judgments from him, Anatoliy Babynskyi, professor of theology at Ukrainian Catholic University, told RISU news agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOpen condemnation of Russia will do more for peace than quiet diplomacy,\u201d he said, noting that Russia thrives in \u201csuch backroom diplomacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many hope that Pope\u2019s authority, especially given his background in the US and Peru, could help mobilize support for Ukraine in both Americas, where many perceive the conflict as too distant or view it as a proxy war between the West and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have high hopes that he will help us establish contact with the Global South and Latin America and remind them that Christianity implies helping a victim of aggression,\u201d Oleksandr Merezhko noted to EFE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The deputy also expects that the Pope\u2019s position could influence those in Donald Trump\u2019s entourage, who are \u201cpracticing Catholics,\u201d such as State Secretary Marco Rubio and Vice-President JD Vance, as Kyiv finds itself under pressure from Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uplifting steps<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leo\u2019s first call with a head of state was with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who invited him to visit Ukraine. The Vatican\u2019s offer to host peace talks, which the Pope made during Zelenskyy\u2019s visit on Sunday, has also been welcomed in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI expect Leo will help in peace efforts, especially in returning Ukrainian children from Russia,\u201d Kryvytska said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lists of Ukrainian prisoners of war, as well as abducted children and detained journalists, have been handed to the Vatican by Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukrainians also believe that a papal visit would uplift a nation weary from over three years of war while bolstering the Vatican\u2019s global standing at a time when authoritarian states challenge international norms. EFE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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