Two Ukrainian women became part of a special moment of Ukraine’s cultural diplomacy in the Vatican. Olesya Lylak Chyzhowych, head of the Association of Ukrainians in the Canary Islands “Two Lands, Two Suns,” presented to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, during an official audience, a painting by a young Ukrainian girl, Veronika Vorontsova from Khmelnytskyi—a symbol of a child’s dream of peace and the hope of the Ukrainian people. This painting is more than just a drawing. It has become a symbol of Ukraine, a symbol of hope and the dreams of Ukrainian children for peace. This exact drawing is featured on a Ukrainian postage stamp, and the painting itself is now in the Vatican.
Meanwhile, the well-known designer from the Lviv region, Halyna Shunevych, had the honor of visiting the Vatican and personally presenting the Pope with a unique white linen shirt as part of her author’s project “Vyshyvanka for the President”—a symbol of Ukrainian culture, traditions, and resilience.
Through art, embroidery, and people’s stories, Ukraine continues to speak to the world. Culture becomes the language of unity, memory, and peace.
Author: Zoryana Sozanska
Photo: from the open sources