The pope’s envoy to mediate the war in Ukraine, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, is in Washington until Wednesday, following his visits to Kiev and Moscow, the Vatican announced today.
The note from the Vatican states that the Zuppi’s trip “takes place within the framework of the mission to promote peace in Ukraine and aims to exchange ideas and opinions on the current tragic situation, as well as support humanitarian initiatives to alleviate the suffering of the most affected and vulnerable people.” relieve, especially childrenS”.
The Vatican has not provided the Italian cardinal’s schedule, so it is unclear whether he will be hosted by US President Joe Biden.
Zuppi – who was personally hand-picked by Pope Francis to try to mediate the war in Ukraine and secure the return of deported Ukrainian children to Russia – has already visited Kiev and Moscow, to no avail in his mission.
In Moscow, the Italian cardinal – with extensive experience in conflict mediation – met the Russian Presidency’s Foreign Affairs Adviser, Yuri Ushakov, and the Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Russia, Maria Lvova, in the Russian capital. Belova.
Zuppi’s visit to Moscow came three weeks after he had been in Kiev, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who reiterated his intention not to accept a peace plan that would not include the withdrawal of Russian troops from their territory.
Pope Francis has repeatedly called for an end to the war, but has refrained from openly criticizing Moscow, in keeping with the Vatican’s tradition of maintaining diplomatic neutrality in conflicts, hoping it can play a behind-the-scenes role in forging peace.
Source: DN
