Pope Leo XIV as a peace broker: Conversation in the Vatican planned!

Pope Leo XIV as a peace broker: Conversation in the Vatican planned!

In the middle of the Ukraine War, Pope Francis has sought a neutral role as an intermediary and offered to travel to Moscow to have a conversation with President Vladimir Putin. However, this has led to criticism, especially after his call to Ukraine, "courage to negotiate peace" and a "white flag", which some seemed too compliant. In this tense situation, a new Pope comes into play: Pope Leo XIV, who was the first Pope to have good contacts with the US government, could propose the Vatican as the venue for talks between Ukraine, Russia and the USA. OE24 reports that…

The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emphasized that she had personal conversations with Pope Leo XIV and that the Vatican should be checked in order to act as a place of negotiation. This indicates that Meloni is seen as a driving force in European politics and actively supports the peace talks. In addition, the Vatican was already used as a place for a conversation between Wolodymyr Selenskyj and Donald Trump during the funeral of Pope Francis, which underlines the willingness of the holy chair to support the peace process. The new Pope wants to mobilize the 1.4 billion Catholics to stand up for peace.

The mediation role of the Vatican

Pope Leo XIV already emphasized in his election how important peace is for the world without making provocative statements. In a conversation after his inauguration with Selenskyj, he reaffirmed the support of the Vatican for his peace efforts. The Vatican itself has a long tradition as a peace broker, which up to the successes under Pope Leo XIII. back. This tradition includes introducing international conflicts, also with border disputes between Chile and Argentina. Tagesschau reports that…

But the challenge remains great. The Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskow confirmed that Russia has noted the Vatican's offer. Putin also noted that a “memorandum” with Kiev should be created to prepare a possible peace treaty. Ukraine is also ready for direct negotiations, with Selenskyj already named places such as Turkey, the Vatican and Switzerland as a possible place of negotiation. Austria does not matter in this constellation, since relationships with Moscow are heavily burdened. This shows how important the Vatican could be in the current geopolitical situation.

The Vatican in an international context

In the past 150 years, the Holy Stuhl has profiled himself as a peace power. Historically, however, the papacy was often too partisan to act effectively in mediation. Under Pope Francis, however, the Vatican has contributed more actively into the conflicts, for example through visits to the Russian embassy and direct communication with Selenskyj. This initiative could help promote the necessary relationships between the conflict parties, even if not all interests allow papal mediation at the present time. Herder reports that…