Catholic Church
Christian church led by the Pope and governed from the Holy See.
Pope Leo XIV raised the fate of civilians in occupied Oleshky with Vladimir Putin by telephone on 16 October 2026; the Kremlin said the two agreed to cooperate on supplies for the Kherson-region town.
Last refreshed: 18 October 2026
Can the Pope get supplies into Russian-occupied Oleshky?
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Led by Pope Leo XIV
Russia-Ukraine War 2026: Mentioned in: Pope Leo XIV raises Oleshky with PutinBackground
The Church is governed from the Holy See in Vatican City. Pope Leo XIV has led it since his election on 8 May 2025, succeeding Pope Francis, who died on 21 April 2025.
In Russia's war on Ukraine the Holy See has taken up named humanitarian cases rather than acting as a mediator. Its 2023 envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, carried a brief built around Ukrainian children taken to Russia, not ceasefire terms.
Leo XIV's October 2026 call kept to that line. He asked about a single town, Oleshky, which sits on the Russian-held left bank of the Dnipro opposite Ukrainian-held Kherson city, and the Kremlin readout spoke of beginning vital supplies rather than of talks. Leo XIV's call will be judged on whether the supplies reach Oleshky.
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 18 October 2026. Editorial standards.