"Not to Kyiv, but to Nicaea": Cardinal Parolin speaks about the first foreign visit of the new Pope

Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin spoke about the first foreign visits to be made by the newly elected Pope Leo XIV. Despite expectations and the global political agenda, the first place of the Pontiff’s visit will not be Kyiv, but Nicaea, where Pope Leo will go to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. This was reported by the Vatican press service.

According to the Vatican Secretary of State, it is “premature” to speculate about a possible visit of Pope Leo XIV to Ukraine. This was the reaction to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s invitation to the Pope to visit the country.

At the same time, when asked where the first trip of Pope Leo could take place, Cardinal Parolin replied: “I am thinking about Nicaea. This is an important moment for the Catholic Church, an important moment for ecumenism. Undoubtedly, it was planned that Pope Francis would go there. I believe that Pope Leo will go the same way.”

Earlier, we reported that Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to take part in the enthronement of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican, which is scheduled for May 18. The Head of State will visit the Vatican if he has time for it.