Pope Francis Receives Ukraine’s Zelensky In The Vatican(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Pope Francis received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a private meeting at the Vatican on Friday in talks that focused mainly on the return of prisoners. Zelensky asked the pope for support for children and adults imprisoned by Russia, the president said in a post on Telegram. He then met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and they discussed how to end the war in Ukraine and achieve a just and stable peace. The Vatican’s chief diplomat expressed concern about the humanitarian situation there, according to the Holy See. In the course of the war, launched by Russia in February 2022, Pope Francis has repeatedly reminded the public of what he calls the “martyred Ukraine.”But some of his comments on the war, including calls for a peace deal, have met with criticism in Kiev.