Media reports about Pope Francis potentially visiting Ukraine have raised hopes the Holy Father could accept an invitation to visit the war-torn country in 2025.

According to a report by Ukrainska Pravda, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, said in a recent interview that while no visit was confirmed, “Pope Francis sometimes likes to make surprises.”

The prospect of a papal visit to Ukraine has been discussed multiple times since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.

In June 2022, speaking to children during the “Children’s Train” initiative in Rome, Pope Francis explained his approach to such a visit: “I would like to go to Ukraine. But, I have to wait for the right time to do it, because it is not easy to make a decision that could do more harm to the whole world than good.”

The new speculation about a potential visit follows the pope’s Christmas message on Dec. 25 in which he specifically mentioned the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, calling for its end and for negotiations toward a just peace.

“May the sound of weapons be silenced in Ukraine,” the pope urged on Christmas Day. “May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter.”

Shevchuk has long advocated for a papal visit to Ukraine. 

In April 2022, following Pope Francis’ comments during an in-flight press conference returning from Malta, the Ukrainian Catholic leader said he hoped the pope would visit Kyiv “as soon as possible.” 

At that time, Shevchuk noted that the local Catholic Church and government officials were “working to ensure that the Holy Father’s visit to Ukraine takes place.”

In his latest interview, the Ukrainian Church leader reportedly expressed hope for peace in the coming year. “We enter this new year with hope, with the hope that a just peace will eventually prevail in Ukraine,” he said.

This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.

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