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The Supreme Pontiff and the Ukrainian president exchanged gifts."> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.churchpop.com/pres-zelensky-stirs-controversy-with/"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.churchpop.com/content/images/2023/05/Untitled-design--69--1.png"> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2023-05-22T19:06:07.000Z"> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2023-05-23T16:58:15.000Z"> <meta property="article:tag" content="Articles"> <meta property="article:tag" content="News"> <meta property="article:tag" content="Vatican"> <meta property="article:publisher" content="https://www.facebook.com/churchpopsite/"> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Ukraine President Zelensky Stirs Controversy With Gift to Pope Francis"> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Pope Francis met in the Vatican with the Ukraine President Zelensky. The Supreme Pontiff and the Ukrainian president exchanged gifts."> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://www.churchpop.com/pres-zelensky-stirs-controversy-with/"> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://www.churchpop.com/content/images/2023/05/Untitled-design--69--2.png"> <meta name="twitter:label1" content="Written by"> <meta name="twitter:data1" content="Andres Jaromezuk"> <meta name="twitter:label2" content="Filed under"> <meta name="twitter:data2" content="Articles, News, Vatican"> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@Church_POP"> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1200"> <meta property="og:image:height" content="628"> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "ChurchPOP", "url": "https://www.churchpop.com/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.churchpop.com/content/images/2023/07/churchpop_horizontal_logo.png" } }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andres Jaromezuk", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.churchpop.com/content/images/2023/05/Andres-Jaromezuk.jpg", "width": 640, "height": 640 }, "url": "https://www.churchpop.com/author/andres-jaromezuk/", "sameAs": [ "https://es.churchpop.com" ] }, "headline": "Ukraine President Zelensky Stirs Controversy With Gift to Pope Francis", "url": "https://www.churchpop.com/pres-zelensky-stirs-controversy-with/", "datePublished": "2023-05-22T19:06:07.000Z", "dateModified": "2023-05-23T16:58:15.000Z", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.churchpop.com/content/images/2023/05/Untitled-design--70-.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080 }, "keywords": "Articles, News, Vatican", "description": "On Wed., May 13, Pope Francis met in the Vatican with the Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.\n\nThe Supreme Pontiff and the Ukrainian president exchanged gifts as part of protocol.\n\nHowever, several days after the meeting, numerous Christians expressed their discontent for Zelensky's gift to the Holy Father.\n\nMany social media users considered it offensive and blasphemous to the Catholic faith.\n\n\nWhat did the President of Ukraine give Pope Francis?\n\n\nThe meeting between President Zelensky and P", "mainEntityOfPage": "https://www.churchpop.com/pres-zelensky-stirs-controversy-with/" } </script> <meta name="generator" content="Ghost 5.109"> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="ChurchPOP" href="https://www.churchpop.com/rss/"> <script defer src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/ghost/sodo-search@~1.5/umd/sodo-search.min.js" data-key="5a4b861d41a88bd320070a50b7" data-styles="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/ghost/sodo-search@~1.5/umd/main.css" data-sodo-search="https://churchpop-en.ghost.io/" data-locale="en" crossorigin="anonymous"></script> <link href="https://www.churchpop.com/webmentions/receive/" rel="webmention"> <script defer src="/public/cards.min.js?v=802cc2cc6e"></script><style>:root {--ghost-accent-color: #1f1f1f;}</style> 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href="/category/vatican/">Vatican</a></div> <h1 class="post-title global-title">Ukraine President Zelensky Stirs Controversy With Gift to Pope Francis</h1> </div> <div class="post-meta"> <div class="post-authors global-authors"> <div> <div class="post-item-author global-item-author is-image global-image" aria-describedby="author-1"> <a href="/author/andres-jaromezuk/" class="global-link" title="Author: Andres Jaromezuk"></a> <img src="/content/images/size/w300/2023/05/Andres-Jaromezuk.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Andres Jaromezuk" aria-hidden="true"> </div> <div class="post-item-author global-item-author is-image global-image" aria-describedby="author-2"> <a href="/author/jacqueline-burkepile/" class="global-link" title="Author: Jacqueline Burkepile"></a> <img src="/content/images/size/w300/2025/01/New-headshot--Jac.-Jan-8--2.png" loading="lazy" alt="Jacqueline Burkepile" aria-hidden="true"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="post-meta-content"> <time datetime="2023-05-22">May 22, 2023 — 2 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C32.347,5.373 26.975,0 20.347,0 Z"/></svg></button> <small class="share-link-info global-alert" aria-hidden="true" aria-live="polite">The link has been copied!</small> </div> <input type="text" value="https://www.churchpop.com/pres-zelensky-stirs-controversy-with/" id="copy-link" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="post-header-image"> <figure> <div class="global-image global-image-orientation global-radius is-square"> <img srcset="/content/images/size/w300/2023/05/Untitled-design--70-.png 300w, /content/images/size/w600/2023/05/Untitled-design--70-.png 600w, /content/images/size/w1200/2023/05/Untitled-design--70-.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width:480px) 300px, (max-width:768px) 600px, 1200px" src="/content/images/size/w1200/2023/05/Untitled-design--70-.png" alt="Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, Pope Francis, Ukraine President, Holy Father Pope Francis with Zelensky"> </div> <figcaption>President Zelensky's Gift to Pope Francis</figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="post-content global-padding"> <p>On Wed., May 13, Pope Francis met in the Vatican with the Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. </p><p>The Supreme Pontiff and the Ukrainian president exchanged gifts as part of protocol.</p><p>However, several days after the meeting, numerous Christians expressed their discontent for Zelensky's gift to the Holy Father. </p><p>Many social media users considered it offensive and blasphemous to the Catholic faith.</p><h3 id="what-did-the-president-of-ukraine-give-pope-francis">What did the President of Ukraine give Pope Francis?</h3><p><br>The meeting between President Zelensky and Pope Francis lasted approximately 40 minutes. They discussed the humanitarian and political situation in Ukraine amid the ongoing war.</p><p>Pope Francis gave President Zelensky a bronze sculpture depicting an olive branch, which symbolizes peace. </p><p>The Holy Father then gifted President Zelensky with the <em><u><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/travels/2019/outside/documents/papa-francesco_20190204_documento-fratellanza-umana.html">2019 Document on Human Fraternity </a>for World Peace and Living Together.</u></em> </p><p>Pope Francis' final gifts consisted of the <em><a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-03/statio-orbis-27-march-2020-pope-francis-video-prayer.html#:~:text=The%20scene%20of%20the%20Pope,other%20conflicts%20on%20the%20planet.">Statio Orbis</a></em> of March 27, 2020, and a volume titled “An Encyclical on Peace in Ukraine."</p><p><strong>Here's a video of the meeting's highlights:</strong></p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card kg-card-hascaption"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CIEsC25hC6Y?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen title="2023 May 13 Pope Francis meet President Volodymyr Zelensky"></iframe><figcaption><a href="https://youtu.be/CIEsC25hC6Y">Click here if you cannot see the video above.</a></figcaption></figure><h3 id="president-zelenskys-gifts-to-pope-francis-stir-controversy">President Zelensky's gifts to Pope Francis stir controversy</h3><p> <br>One of Zelensky's gifts contained a piece of art created from a bulletproof plate. </p><p>Another gift consisted of a painting entitled "Loss," which denounces killing children in war. It depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary holding a dark figure, which replaces the Christ Child.</p><p><strong>Below is an image of the icon:</strong></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.churchpop.com/content/images/2023/05/Untitled-design--69-.png" class="kg-image" alt="President Zelensky, Virgin Mary, Ukraine, Pope Francis, Zelensky gift to Pope Francis" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="628" srcset="https://www.churchpop.com/content/images/size/w600/2023/05/Untitled-design--69-.png 600w, https://www.churchpop.com/content/images/size/w1000/2023/05/Untitled-design--69-.png 1000w, https://www.churchpop.com/content/images/2023/05/Untitled-design--69-.png 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><a href="https://youtu.be/CIEsC25hC6Y">Vatican Media, YouTube</a></figcaption></figure><p>The image generated a wave of criticism on social networks and many users expressed their repudiation of the gift.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/DeJesus1rv1n/status/1659259663094009861">One user said</a>, "The gift Vladymyr Zelensky gave to Pope Francis, regardless of your faith--every<strong> Christian</strong> who supports this man supports this offensive icon."</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/ArthurM40330824/status/1659441377502015489">Another user said</a>, "Icon that Zelensky gave to Pope Francis. In Ukraine, the image of Mary holding Javelins or Saint Javelina has become popular. Most Christians would consider it blasphemous"</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/OlgaBazova/status/1659063504068923393">One user also said</a>, "From prosecuting the canonical Orthodox Church at home to gifting blasphemous icons, Zelensky has truly shown his disdain for Christianity."</p><p><strong>What do you think of this gift?</strong></p> <div id='CPOP_EN_Article_1' data-ad-position="upper"> <script> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('CPOP_EN_Article_1'); }); </script> </div> <div id='CPOP_EN_Article_2' data-ad-position="lower"> <script> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('CPOP_EN_Article_2'); }); </script> </div> <div id='CPOP_EN_Article_Footer' class="footer-ad"> <script> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('CPOP_EN_Article_Footer'); }); </script> </div> <div class="post-share-section" aria-label="Share this post"> <small>Share this post</small> <div class="post-share-wrap"> <a class="post-share-item" 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