Pope John Paul II sent a telegram addressed to Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma on 22 September 2001. The telegram was sent from onboard the Pope’s plane, which was flying to Kazakhstan. The text of the telegram follows:
HIS EXCELLENCY LEONID KUCHMA PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE KYIV FLYING OVER UKRAINE ON MY WAY TO KAZAKHSTAN AND ARMENIA I GREET YOUR EXCELLENCY AND WITH VIVID MEMORIES OF MY VISIT IN JUNE I ASSURE YOU OF MY PRAYERS THAT ALMIGHTY GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE, EVER STRENGTHENING THEIR RESOLVE TO WORK FOR A NEW ERA OF UNDERSTANDING AND COOPERATION IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY AND IN EUROPE. IOANNES PAULUS PP. II Information for this article was taken from the Ukrainian-language site of the Ministry of Information and Public Relations of the President of Ukraine, www.kuchma.gov.ua. The English-language text of the telegram was taken from www.zenit.org.