Devendra Kumar
Pope Francis has entrusted Cardinal Matteo Zuppi with a mission aimed at easing tensions in the Ukraine war and paving the way for peace. According to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, the mission is still under study, with no timetable or mechanics yet established. Just a week prior, Francis had a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican, where Zelensky expressed doubt about the possibility of mediation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Francis had previously hinted at the Vatican’s involvement in a peace mission, but declined to provide details. However, in his latest statement, Bruni confirmed that the pope has entrusted Zuppi, the archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Bishops Conference, with conducting a mission aimed at contributing to easing tensions in the conflict, with the hope that it can launch paths of peace.
Although the statement itself did not mention Russia, Francis has consistently denounced the war, warned against the buildup of weapons in the conflict, and prayed for the suffering Ukrainian people.
Francis has also hesitated to blame Putin directly for the war, opting instead to focus on the humanitarian aspects of the conflict. He has said that he would be willing to visit Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, if it would help bring peace, but only if he could also visit Moscow. The Vatican’s approach to the conflict has been characterized by Francis’s attempts to maintain a delicate balance between criticizing the violence and avoiding direct confrontation with Russia.