Zelensky: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to attend Switzerland peace summit
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Archbishop of Constantinople and the most senior hierarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, confirmed his participation in the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 10.
The summit will be held in Switzerland on June 15-16 and will focus on peace in Ukraine under the terms of Zelensky's 10-point peace formula, a plan that calls for a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied Ukrainian lands.
Some 160 national delegations were invited to the peace summit, and numerous countries have confirmed their participation. Pope Francis was also invited to attend the summit.
"We value the Ecumenical Patriarchate's significant contribution to restoring just peace in our country," Zelensky wrote on the social media platform X after a phone call with the patriarch.
The president met Bartholomew during the former's visit to Turkey in July 2023 to discuss Ukraine's peace formula and the efforts to bring back Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
Orthodox Christianity is Ukraine's dominant religion, with 72% of the population following it as of 2022. The autocephalous (autonomous) Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Moscow Patriarchate's Ukrainian Orthodox Church are the country's two main churches.
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