Pope called Ukraine president; expressed 'profound pain'

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis holds the weekly general audience at the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, February 23, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday and expressed his "most profound pain" for the country's suffering, the Ukrainian Embassy to the Vatican said.

The embassy announced the conversation in a tweet and an embassy official told Reuters the conversation took place at about 4 p.m. (1500 GMT) but could disclose no further details.