Zelenskyy presents Pope Leo XIV with icon of Mother of God with Infant as symbol of life

11:58, 19.05.2025 1 min read

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Pope Leo XIV with an icon of the Mother of God with the Infant as a symbol of life.

"For many peoples, the image of a mother with a child is a symbol of life that must be protected. Today we presented Pope Leo XIV with a special icon - The Mother of God with the Infant, painted on a fragment of a box from under heavy artillery weapons, brought from near Izium," the president wrote on Telegram.

He noted that this icon is about Ukrainian children. About those who suffered from the war, who were deliberately kidnapped and deported by Russia and who are eagerly awaited in Ukraine.

"We pray for the lives of all our deported children and hope for the support of the Vatican in this matter, so that everyone - both children and Ukrainian prisoners of war - can return home," Zelenskyy noted.

As reported, on Sunday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Pope Leo XIV after the inauguration mass. Zelenskyy became the first foreign leader to be met by the Pope after the inauguration.