Pope, Zelenskyy Speak On War & Religious Freedom Concerns

Pope Francis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke by phone Thursday to exchange Christmas greetings and to discuss Ukraine’s peace plan, at a time when the country faces mounting religious freedom concerns for banning an Orthodox church with ties to Moscow. In a Dec. 28 post on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, Zelenskyy said had spoken with Pope Francis that day and thanked him for “the spiritual support” he has given to the people of Ukraine.