The Chinese Government confirmed this Wednesday that Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, charged by Pope Francis with promoting peace in Ukraine, will “soon visit” the Asian country.
The Holy See announced on Tuesday that the cardinal would be in China between this Wednesday and Friday.
The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, stated at a press conference that the representative of the Chinese Government for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui, will meet with Zuppi, although he did not give more details about the papal representative’s agenda.
Li visited Ukraine in May, where he said that “all parties should create conditions to end the war” and “start peace talks.”
Mao said China “has always been committed to promoting peace” and was “willing to play a constructive role” in easing tensions.
According to the Vatican, Zuppi’s visit “constitutes a new step in the mission desired by the Pope to support humanitarian measures and seek paths that can lead to a just peace.”
Last May, Pope Francis created a peace mission to seek initiatives that “contribute to reducing tensions in the conflict in Ukraine” and entrusted it to Zuppi, a well-known mediator and also archbishop of the Italian city of Bologna.
In recent months, Zuppi traveled to Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky, and then flew to Moscow, where he was received by the President of the Russian Federation for Foreign Policy Affairs, Yuri Ushakov.
China and Vatican City do not have official diplomatic relations and there are disputes over the appointment of bishops in the Asian country.
Source: TSF
