However, in a more contentious move, the law also banned religious entities "affiliated" with Moscow. This will affect mainly parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the nominally independent Ukrainian branch of the Russian Orthodox Church which, despite various name and governance changes, is still formally subservient to the patriarch in Moscow.

An expert commission that will be appointed by the government to implement the new law could deem the UOC's parishes and priests insufficiently disentangled from Moscow.

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Redemptorist Fathers Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta, who served at the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Berdyansk, were among ten prisoners returned to Ukrainian authorities.

Zelenskyy announced the news on June 28 on his Facebook page.

"We have managed to free 10 more of our people from Russian captivity, despite all the difficulties," wrote Zelenskyy, who recognised "the Holy See's efforts to bring these people home."

Moments after Zelenskyy's announcement, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church posted the news on its website, along with images of the two priests taken during their imprisonment by Russia.

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Many perceive the statement as a call for Ukraine to surrender in its conflict with Russia.

In an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI, Francis advocated for peace talks brokered by international powers.

"I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag and negotiates" Francis said.

However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba promptly responded, affirming Ukraine's unwavering commitment to the colours of his country's flag and rejecting any notion of surrender.

"Our flag is blue and yellow. We live, die and win under it. We will not raise other flags" Kuleba posted on Sunday on the social media platform X.

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski echoed this sentiment. "How about, for balance, encouraging Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine? Peace would immediately ensue without the need for negotiations."

Courage of negotiations

However, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni clarified that the Pope's intention was to support "a stop to hostilities" and "a truce achieved with the courage of negotiations," rather than advocating for Ukrainian surrender.

Bruni said that the journalist interviewing Francis used the term "white flag" in the question that prompted the controversial remarks.

Francis emphasised that negotiations should never be perceived as a sign of weakness but rather as a pathway to peace.

"When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate" he said.

While the Pope's comments have sparked debate, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reiterated that any initiative in peace negotiations must come from Russia, the aggressor.

Francis has endeavoured to maintain the Vatican's traditional diplomatic neutrality throughout the conflict.

His apparent sympathy towards the Russian rationale for invading Ukraine has however raised eyebrows. The reaction was notable when he referenced NATO's eastward expansion contributing to regional tensions.

During Sunday's Angelus prayer, Francis said he was praying "for peace in the tormented Ukraine and in the Holy Land."

"Let the hostilities which cause immense suffering among the civilian population cease as soon as possible" he said.

Sources

AP News

AP News

CathNews New Zealand

Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, approved the measure — which also adjusts the dates of the Day of Ukrainian Statehood and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine — on July 14, with Zelenskyy formalising it on July 28.

Zelenskyy introduced the legislation on June 28 with an explanatory note that the change would "discard the Russian legacy of celebrating Christmas on Jan 7," the date for the holiday according to the Julian calendar, which the Russian Orthodox and other Eastern Orthodox churches use.

The Julian and Gregorian calendars — implemented in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII and used by Western churches — differ by 13 days.

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Zuppi was in Washington DC from July 17-19 along with an unnamed representative of the Vatican's Secretariat of State to "continue the mission entrusted to him by Pope Francis and, in this context, to meet with the President of the United States, Joseph Biden," according to a July 19 Vatican statement.

It marked the third stage in Zuppi's mission as the pope's special envoy on Ukraine, following a visit to Kyiv in early June, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top-level church and government leaders, and to Moscow in late June, where he members of Russia's foreign ministry as well as Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, but did not meet with President Vladimir Putin.

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Zuppi is a prominent Italian cardinal known for his close association with the pontiff.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni announced the development on Saturday, revealing that the specific details and timeline for the mission are currently being evaluated.

"I can confirm that Pope Francis has entrusted Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Bishops Conference, with a mission to contribute to easing tensions in the conflict in Ukraine. The Holy Father holds on to the hope that this mission can pave the way for peace."

The announcement follows Pope Francis' recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican.

After the meeting, Zelenskyy expressed scepticism about the possibility of any mediation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Secret peace mission

Pope Francis said at the end of April that the Vatican was involved in a secret peace mission to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Speaking to the press travelling with him, the pontiff said: "Everyone is interested in the path of peace. I am willing, I am willing to do whatever needs to be done. Even now a mission is underway, but it's not public yet, we'll see...

"When it's public, then I'll speak about it."

Both Ukrainian and Russian officials quickly denied that negotiations were taking place. Still, a close papal aide confirmed the pope's statement in an interview with an Italian news outlet published earlier this month.

Bruni said Pope Francis hopes the operation, which will be carried out in agreement with the Secretariat of State, "can initiate paths of peace."

According to Il Sismografo, an Italian blog, the governments of Ukraine and Russia have replied to the Vatican and declared their availability in principle.

Francis has repeatedly denounced the war, warned against a buildup of weapons in the conflict and prayed for the suffering Ukrainian people. However, he generally shied away from blaming Putin in his many comments on the war.

The pontiff has expressed his willingness to visit Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, with the intention of aiding the peace process. However, he has stipulated that such a visit would be possible only if he could also make a corresponding visit to Moscow.

Sources

AP News

Catholic News Agency

Kyiv Post

Il Sismografo

CathNews New Zealand