Almost a year and a half later, Cardinal Zuppi is returning to Russia for the second time. He does so again in his capacity as the Pope's special envoy for the peace mission in Ukraine, an assignment from Pope Francis that began in 2023.
In this second round in Moscow, the Cardinal met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. According to the ministry statement, they discussed humanitarian cooperation and the constructive development of the Russia-Vatican dialogue.
On the other hand, the Holy See pointed out that this trip seeks to join efforts to promote family reunification of Ukrainian children, whose number amounts to some 20,000 deportations, according to Ukraine, as well the exchange of prisoners.
This goal is not new. From the beginning of the mission, the return of these children to Ukraine has been one of the central focuses of the Vatican.
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CARD. MATTEO ZUPPI
Archbishop of Bologna (Italy)
We begin with protecting the little ones, as you have recalled. This is the task of the mission entrusted to me by Pope Francis, which is beginning to bear some fruit for those who need to be reunited with their families.
On Zuppi's first visit to Moscow in June 2023, the cardinal met with a Kremlin foreign policy advisor and Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was the first meeting between a papal representative and the head of this church since the invasion began.
But Russia has not been the Vatican's only avenue for dialogue. Zuppi was in Kiev days after traveling to Russia and met with Zelensky. The conversation revolved around humanitarian aid and Ukraine's peace proposal. The other two stages of the peace mission took place with the cardinal's trip to Washington and Beijing.
TR: JD
