Archbishop Shevchuk has long advocated for a papal visit to Ukraine. Media reports about Pope Francis potentially visiting Ukraine have raised hopes the Holy Father could accept an invitation to visit the war-torn country in 2025.

The Pope has accepted an invitation to visit Ukraine. However, the date of the visit is not yet known, states the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, according to Radio Svoboda.

Pope Francis has called for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the war triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In his traditional Christmas Day address, the Pope said "boldness [was] needed to open the door" to dialogue "in order to achieve a just and lasting peace" between the two sides.

Pope Francis in his Christmas message on Wednesday called for talks between Ukraine and Russia to end the war that followed Moscow's full-scale invasion two years ago and has killed tens of thousands.

Putting aggressors and victims on the same level is "ethically and morally wrong," said commenter Anton Gerashchenko in response to the pope's words.

Pope Francis’ message came after Russia struck Ukraine on Christmas day, targeting the country’s energy grid and injuring several people across Kyiv and Kharkiv

Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), in an interview with Radio Liberty Details: Francis has received an invitation for such a visit, and, Shevchuk said, the UGCC has assurances that it has been accepted,

Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Sunday prayer ahead of Christmas celebrations, condemning the "cruelty" of bombing schools and hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza.

In his traditional Christmas message on 25 December, Pope Francis mentioned the war in Ukraine, calling for an end to it and for negotiations for a just peace. Source: European Pravda Details: Pope Francis devoted two sentences of his Christmas message to the mention of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine.

Pope Francis’ Christmas message was a plea for ... his thoughts — and his public remarks — for many months. In Ukraine, he called for “the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation ...

Pope Francis called for peace around the world and for global conflicts to end in his annual “Urbi et Orbi” Christmas message to the faithful.