{
  "id": 10518190,
  "title": "'Promoting peace is an active work' — Pope Leo urges concessions between Russia, Ukraine",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/promoting-peace-is-an-active-work-pope-leo-urges-concessions-between",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T19:18:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Kyiv Independent",
    "slug": "kyiv-independent",
    "url": "https://kyivindependent.com/promoting-peace-is-an-active-work-pope-leo-urges-concessions-between-russia-ukraine/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On the final day of his official French sojourn, Pope Leo XIV advocated for concessions to bring peace to Russia and Ukraine. Regrettably, the conflict in Europe has escalated once more, the pontiff stated during an address to European leaders. He emphasized the need for passionate dialogue, courageous negotiations, and willingness to compromise certain positions for the greater good of peace. Pope Leo did not explicitly name Russia or Ukraine and did not outline the specifics of a peaceful resolution to the war. His speech came amid Russian forces persistently attacking and killing civilians in Ukraine through extensive drone and missile strikes. The Pope delivered his message in Metz, France, the birthplace of Robert Schuman, a key figure in the establishment of the European Union. He frequently referenced Schuman throughout his address. Pope Leo lamented the increasing barbarism in international relations, stating that the value of words lies in honesty and that deception is on the rise. Europe could halt this cycle by showing respect for others, a value that has been nurtured and maintained over the past 80 years. Since his May 2025 election, Pope Leo, the first U.S.-born pontiff, has repeatedly expressed solidarity with Ukrainians. On August 25, the Vatican's foreign minister met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow for the first face-to-face talks between the two nations since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Following the meeting, both men issued a joint statement calling for an end to the war and acknowledging significant differences between Moscow and the Vatican. The Vatican representative noted that each passing day of conflict creates new victims and makes future reconciliation between Kyiv and Moscow more challenging.",
  "summary": "The pontiff did not explicitly mention Russia or Ukraine and did not give details on what a peaceful resolution for the war would entail.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}