Pope Francis
Argentine pope who led the Catholic Church from 2013 until his death in 2025.
Pope Francis's 2023 Ukraine mission, led by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, set the template for Pope Leo XIV's call with Vladimir Putin on 16 October 2026 about civilians in occupied Oleshky. Francis died on 21 April 2025.
Last refreshed: 18 October 2026
What did Pope Francis try to achieve in the Ukraine war?
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Sent the 2023 peace envoy
Russia-Ukraine War 2026: Mentioned in: Pope Leo XIV raises Oleshky with PutinBackground
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was Born in Buenos Aires on 17 December 1936. Elected on 13 March 2013, he was the first Jesuit and the first Latin American to lead the Catholic Church. He died in Vatican City on 21 April 2025, aged 88, and the conclave chose Pope Leo XIV as his successor on 8 May 2025.
During Russia's full-scale invasion he kept The Vatican to humanitarian work rather than Mediation. In 2023 he named Cardinal Matteo Zuppi his envoy, and between June and September Zuppi went to Kyiv, Moscow, Washington and Beijing with Ukrainian children taken to Russia at the centre of his brief. The mission brokered no wider talks.
That narrow, case-by-case approach outlived Francis. His successor's October 2026 call with Putin, about supplies for one occupied town in Kherson region, followed the line he drew.
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 18 October 2026. Editorial standards.