Yahoo – AFP,
26 April 2014
Ukraine's
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (R) meets with Pope Francis during
a private
audience on April 26, 2014, at the Vatican (AFP Photo/Vincenzo Pinto)
|
Ukraine's
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (R) meets with Pope Francis during a private
audience on April 26, 2014, at the Vatican
Vatican
City (AFP) - Pope Francis told Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on
Saturday that he would "do everything possible" for the country, amid
fears that Russia could be about to invade.
Yatsenyuk
said he asked Francis "to pray for Ukraine and for stability in
Europe" and told him he was grateful for the support.
Ukraine's
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk
(C) exchanges gifts with Pope Francis during
a
private audience on April 26, 2014, at the
Vatican (AFP Photo/Vincenzo Pinto)
|
The Vatican
said in a statement that Francis and Yatsenyuk had discussed the "specific
role" that religious organisations could play "in fostering mutual
respect and harmony".
"Mention
was made of possible further initiatives by the international community in this
regard," the statement said.
Yatsenyuk's
spokeswoman said the premier was cutting short his trip to Rome and will miss
the canonisation of John Paul II and John XXIII, as tensions mount in the
eastern part of the ex-Soviet country and Western nations threaten sanctions.
Yatsenyuk
spent 18 minutes behind closed doors with the pope, who had urged the
international community to "prevent violence" in Ukraine in his
Easter Sunday message.
At an
exchange of gifts, Yatsenyuk presented Francis with a photograph of Maidan
square in Kiev on New Year's night.
"This
is where Ukrainians fought for their freedom and rights. Millions of
people," he said.
The pope in
return offered the Ukraine leader a pen, saying "I hope this pen will sign
the peace", to which Yatsenyuk replied "I hope so."
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.