Thursday 29 September 2022 04:11 PM Pope Francis reveals he was involved in efforts to release 300 Ukrainian ... trends now
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Pope Francis has revealed he was involved in efforts to release 300 Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia.
The head of the Catholic Church said he received 'Ukrainian emissaries' at the Vatican, including a military chief who brought with him a list 'of more than 300 prisoners'.
He made the remarks on September 15, a week before Russia and Ukraine carried out an unexpected prisoner swap, the largest since the war began and involving almost 300 people.
The pope said, according to the Italian Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica: 'They asked me to do something so that an exchange could be made.
'I immediately called the Russian ambassador to see if something could be done, if an exchange of prisoners could be expedited,' he added, without providing any further details.
Pope Francis has revealed he was involved in efforts to release 300 Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia
Ukrainian soldiers released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine hold the Ukrainian flag close to Chernihiv last week
Francis has been trying since the start of the invasion to open a path of dialogue with Moscow, while condemning a 'cruel and senseless war'.
Last week's prisoner swap came as a surprise, hours after he escalated the war by announcing a partial mobilisation and
