Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung and Others to Attend from South Korea
As the inauguration Mass for the new Pope Leo XIV is scheduled for May 18 (local time), the event is drawing attention as it is expected to become a major diplomatic gathering with world leaders in attendance. In particular, there is keen interest in whether discussions on a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine?an issue that has seen little progress?will take place.
According to Reuters and other sources, the Vatican has announced that delegations from about 150 countries will attend the inauguration Mass to be held at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. Key figures include U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
President Zelensky is expected to brief Western leaders on the results of Ukraine's first ceasefire talks with Russia in three years, which took place on May 16. In addition, it is anticipated that there will be focused discussions regarding the situation in which President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold consecutive phone calls with President Vladimir Putin and President Zelensky on May 19 in an effort to find a breakthrough.
An aide has reported that President Zelensky wishes to meet with other leaders separately from the inauguration Mass. At the funeral of former Pope Francis on April 26, President Trump and President Zelensky held a face-to-face meeting.
Given that President Trump is strongly pressing for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, the actions of the U.S. delegation are also drawing attention. Vice President Vance will have a separate meeting with Pope Leo XIV, who is originally from the United States. It is expected that the war in Ukraine will be on the agenda during this meeting.
The U.S. delegation also includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who oversees U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Secretary Rubio previously stated that during this visit, he would meet with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the former papal envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict under Pope Francis, to discuss the ceasefire issue.
Pope Leo XIV is reported to have proposed the Vatican as a venue for ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia after their direct talks on May 16 ended without significant results. Secretary Rubio also mentioned that the Vatican is a place where both Russia and Ukraine can feel comfortable coming, and suggested that dialogue could be facilitated during the inauguration Mass.
According to the Vatican, Russia will be represented by Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, attending in place of President Vladimir Putin. In addition, the presidents of Ireland, Lithuania, Nigeria, Colombia, Gabon, Georgia, and Hungary, as well as the prime ministers of Croatia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Morocco, and Slovenia, will attend the inauguration Mass. From South Korea, Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung and others will be present. Furthermore, many European royals are expected to attend, including King Felipe VI of Spain, Prince Edward?the brother of King Charles III of the United Kingdom?and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.
The papal inauguration Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. local time in the Vatican (5:00 p.m. Korean time) on this day.
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