Pope Francis’ peace envoy to Ukraine will visit Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday, just weeks after visiting Kyiv, the Vatican said.
It will be the first visit to Moscow by a senior Vatican official since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“On June 28 and 29, 2023, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi… accompanied by an official of the (Vatican) Secretary of State, will pay a visit to Moscow as envoy of Pope Francis,” a Vatican statement said.
“The main purpose of the initiative is to encourage gestures of humanity, which can help promote a solution to the current tragic situation and find ways to achieve a just peace.”
Pope Francis asked Zuppi, the head of the Italian bishops conference, in May “to help ease tensions” in Ukraine in the hope of facilitating peace between Kyiv and Moscow.
The 67-year-old Italian cardinal hails from the Sant’Egidio Catholic Community, which specialises in diplomacy and peace efforts.
His trip to Moscow follows a visit to Kyiv on June 5 and 6 for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who told the envoy a ceasefire would not lead to peace.
Francis, head of the worldwide Catholic Church since 2013, has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine.
In the first few months after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, he faced criticism for not blaming Moscow explicitly for the conflict.
Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said recently that Zuppi’s mission was not aimed at mediation, at least not yet, but sought to “favour a climate that can lead to paths of peace”.
The pope hosted Zelensky at the Vatican in May, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal a few weeks earlier.
Shmyhal invited the pope to visit Ukraine and also asked for help to return children forcibly taken to Russia.
AFP
