After their private meeting, Francis gave Zelenskyy a bronze plaque with an inscription reading, “Peace is a fragile flower”.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday as he continues his tour of Europe to bolster support for a “victory plan”.
During his conversation with the head of the Catholic Church, Zelenskyy and Francis reportedly discussed the state of the war, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and well as how it could be brought to an end.
Zelenskyy has been city-hopping across the continent to promote a proposal which he says “aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war” against Russia.
Since the first Russian attack on Kyiv, Francis and Zelenskyy have made multiple visits, letters and phone calls to each other.
Francis has repeatedly and strongly called for an end to the war in Ukraine, focusing on prisoner exchanges and on reaching a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
The Pope drew some criticism from Ukrainian leaders in March when he suggested they should have the “courage of the white flag” and consider a negotiated end to the war with Russia, an notion interpreted by many as a call to surrender.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in the St. Damasus courtyard at the Vatican on his way to a private meeting with Pope Francis, Friday, Oct. 11 2024
Rounding up support
A day before meeting the Pope, he had detailed the plan’s proposals to European allies after a planned summit including US President Joe Biden was derailed by Hurricane Milton.
He met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in London on Thursday before heading to France for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, who signalled his support by visiting Ukrainian troops being trained in France.
Zelenskyy also met with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who ensured Italy’s full and continued support to put Ukraine in a position to build lasting peace.
The Ukrainian leader has yet to publicly present his proposals for victory, but the timing of his efforts to lock in European support appeared to have November’s US presidential election in mind.
Former President Donald Trump, who could return to the White House next year, has long been critical of US aid to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy had planned to present his blueprint at a weekend meeting of Western leaders in Germany, but it was postponed after sitting President Joe Biden stayed in the US to respond to Hurricane Milton, which has wreaked havoc in Florida.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian’ın ikonikleşen Baccarat Rouge 540 serisi, Zorlu Center’da düzenlenen etkinlikle tanıtıldı.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian, ikonik Baccarat Rouge 540 serisini tanıttı. Cemiyet hayatının önemli isimlerinin katıldığı, parfümün yaratılış ve isim hikayesinin detaylarıyla anlatıldığı etkinliğe katılanlar, Maison Francis Kurkdjian’ın duyuların simyasını simgeleyen vazgeçilmez eserini keşfetti.
Maison Baccarat’nın 250. yıl dönümünü bir parfümle kutlamak için yaratılan Baccarat Rouge 540’ın sırları, Zorlu Center’da düzenlenen etkinlikle gün yüzüne çıkarıldı. NeoBloom Kurucu Ortağı Birgül Ulucan Öztürk ev sahipliğinde Baccarat Rouge 540 parfümlerinden vücut kremlerine, kokulu ve parlatıcı vücut yağlarından saç spreylerine, ev ürünlerinden seyahat paketlerine kadar serinin tüm ürünlerinin tanıtıldığı etkinlikte, parfümün yaratılış hikayesi de anlatıldı. Workshop ve koku atölyelerinin de yapıldığı etkinliğe katılanlar, markanın felsefesi ile tanışma ve ürünleri deneme fırsatı buldu.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian’ın duyuların simyasını simgeleyen vazgeçilmez eseri Baccarat Rouge 540, Francis’in yaratıcılık sürecindeki ilk ve en önemli adımı olan yaratıcı isim anlayışını büyük bir gururla kalbinde taşıyor. Baccarat Rouge 540’ın ilhamını taşıyan yaratılış hikayesi, kristal imalat atölyelerine dayanıyor. Parfüm ismini; 1839’da Fransa’da renkli kristal üreten ilk cam fabrikası Baccarat’dan ve bu fabrikada üretilen ‘Baccarat kırmızısı’ olarak adlandırılan koyu kırmızı kristalden alıyor. Maison Baccarat’nın imzası olan bu ayırt edici kırmızı kristali yaratmak için 24 karat altın tozu, erimiş kristale ekleniyor ve 540°C’de pişiriliyor. Parfümlerde hikaye ve isimlerde yaratıcı yaklaşımını Baccarat Rouge 540’ta da bırakmayan Francis Kurkdjian, her zaman olduğu gibi eşsiz ilhamını ve hikayesini, parfüm ismine de kazıyor.
Baccarat Rouge 540; çarpıcı kokusal damgasını Eau de Parfum, yoğunluğun zirvesini Extrait de Parfum olmak üzere iki farklı formül ve üç farklı boyuttaki şişesi ile yaşatıyor. Yasemin ve safranın üst notalarda eşlik ettiği Eau de Parfum’ün orta notasında sedir ağacı, alt notasında ambroxan yer alıyor. Çiçeksi ahşap kehribar dokusuyla parfüm, tüm nota geçişleriyle etrafına ışıklar saçan, oldukça yoğun ve aydınlık bir patika hissi veriyor. Mısır asıllı İspanyol yasemini ve safranın üst notalarda yer aldığı Extrait de Parfum’ün orta notasını acı badem ve sedir ağacı veriyor. Alt notada ise ahşap misk doku uyumu ambroxan ile yakalanıyor. Extrait de Parfum, Eau de Parfum’deki çiçeksi ahşap kehribar dokusunu koruyor.
Parfümün yarattığı hisleri her an her yerde yaşayın
Banyo, vücut bakımı ve lifestyle/günlük ürünlerin de yer aldığı Baccarat Rouge 540 serisi, parfümün yarattığı hisleri her an her yerde yaşama imkanı tanıyor. Kokulu vücut kremi, kokulu vücut yağı, parlatıcı vücut yağı ve kokulu saç spreyi gibi birçok detayın bulunduğu koleksiyon, günlük bakım ihtiyaçlarına da yeni bir koku yoğunluğu getiriyor. Gideceğiniz her yerde yanınızda taşıyabileceğiniz taşınabilir tasarımı ve yüksek konsantrasyonu sayesinde kendinize yapabileceğiniz en büyük jesti sunan Baccarat Rouge 540, her yere kristal gibi ışıltılı ve yoğun kokunuzu götürmenize yardımcı oluyor.
On 30 May, 1842, Queen Victoria survived the second attempt on her life in as many days.
Many monarchs manage to avoid attempts on their lives for their entire reign, but Queen Victoria was not so lucky.
On 29 May, the British monarch was returning to Buckingham Palace after a church service with her beloved husband Prince Albert beside her in the royal carriage. Hiding as the horse-drawn vehicle made its way down The Mall in London, John Francis, a 20-year-old cabinetmaker – described by Albert as “a little, swarthy, ill-looking radical” pointed a gun at the Queen.
When the weapon failed to fire, Francis fled the scene and disappeared into crowds in nearby Green Park.
Immediately after the event, the then-Prime Minister Robert Peel – widely regarded as the father of modern British policing – agreed to help in identifying the culprit.
Clearly, that wasn’t enough as, when Victoria and Albert decided to ride out again the next day, escorted by only two outrider equerries, John Francis took his chance at killing the monarch once again.
A broadside on the assassination attempt on Queen Victoria after John Francis’ arrest
While some may say the decision was foolish, the famously stubborn Queen Victoria refused to be confined to Buckingham Palace until the perpetrator was caught, rightly believing the best way to flush him out was to leave.
The royal pair were no doubt nervous but, unbeknownst to Francis, the crowds watching the royal pair pass by were infiltrated with plain-clothed Metropolitan police officers. After firing his gun and missing – again – the attempted-killer was wrestled to the ground by law enforcement, just five paces away from the carriage containing Victoria and Albert.
The hapless would-be-assassin was initially sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered but the Queen later showed mercy towards him, commuting the sentence to banishment for life. Francis lived out the rest of his 63 years in Australia, remaining there until his death in 1885.
Remarkably, Francis’ two attempts on the Queen’s life were not isolated incidents.
An illustration from c.1840 depicts Victoria and Albert on one of their regular rides around London
Just two years before, in June 1840, 18-year-old barkeep Edward Oxford fired his duelling pistol at Victoria, who was four months pregnant with her first child, also called Victoria. Just outside the gates of Buckingham Palace, Oxford fired twice at the monarch but missed both times – the second down to Victoria’s quick decision to duck from the assailant.
After the attack, a crowd surrounded the shooter and tackled him to the ground, while Victoria and Albert continued on their planned journey to Hyde Park. At the time, Prince Albert wrote, “We took a short drive through the park, partly to give Victoria a little air, partly also to show the public that we had not, on account of what had happened, lost all confidence in them”.
Edward Oxford, said to be seeking notoriety, was found guilty but insane and spent 24 years in an asylum, later to be deported to Australia.
Despite the concerning attacks, a further five attempts were made on the Queen’s life over her 63 year rule.
Just five weeks later, 17-year-old John William Bean, who was suffering from spinal deformity and was desperate for a new life – even if that meant a life in jail – also shot at the monarch. After his attempt was foiled, he was sentenced to 18 months of hard labour.
Possibly due to increased security around the Queen, the attempted assassinations became much further spaced out, with shots fired in 1849, 1872 and 1882. Only in 1850 did an assailant use something other than a gun while trying to kill Victoria – and, interestingly, it was the only occasion in which she was actually hurt.
Queen Victoria surrounded by her family at a wedding in Coburg, 1893
On 27 June that year, former British Army officer Robert Pate, who struggled with his mental health and was widely known for his manic behaviour, approached the Queen outside Cambridge House in central London, striking her on the forehead with his lightweight cane.
As the crowd dealt with Pate, Victoria found her footing and told onlookers, “I am not hurt” – despite the bruising and black eye that were beginning to show on her face.
Robert Pate was sentenced to seven years in the penal then-colony of Van Diemen’s Land, now known as Tasmania.
Despite the numerous attempts on Queen Victoria’s life, she lived to the ripe old age of 81, dying at her residence on the Isle of Wight 22 January 1901. Her reign was longer than any of her predecessors and was only surpassed last year by Queen Elizabeth II, who spent 70 years and 214 days on the British throne.
