Vatican diplomacy will not abandon mediation between the parties and initiatives to bring peace to Ukraine, Pope Francis said in an interview with the Spanish digital portal Vida Nueva on Friday, in which he spoke, among other things, about priestly ministry.
Pope Francis has called efforts to end the war in Ukraine a “peace offensive.” He said that he wanted to continue the diplomatic work he had begun in the spring, which he entrusted to the cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppiwhich has already held talks in Kyiv, Moscow and Washington.
According to Cardinal Zuppi’s reports, “in Kyiv continue to focus on victorywithout taking advantage of mediation. He called Moscow’s attitude towards the papal envoy “diplomatic”.
He considered that the most significant progress in mediation between the parties at the moment was achieved in the issue of the return of children transported from Ukraine to Russia. To achieve this, Pope Francis added, he intends to appoint a permanent diplomatic representative who will act as a link between the Russian and Ukrainian authorities. “For me, this is a big step towards the pain of war,” he hinted at the speedy return of the children home.
The Pope confirmed that Cardinal Zuppi’s next stop will be Beijing, as “Washington and Beijing hold key to easing conflict“. He said Vatican diplomacy is preparing for a peaceful meeting with religious leaders in Abu Dhabi ahead of the UN climate summit in Dubai in November. The initiative is coordinated by the cardinal Pietro ParolinSecretary of State for the Holy See, and Abu Dhabi was also chosen to host the peace meeting “outside the Vatican in its no man’s land”.
As for future papal trips, Pope Francis said he is preparing for a trip to Kosovo and his home country of Argentina, as well as a visit to Spain. At the same time, the Pope noted that in Europe he would like to go through smaller countries before moving on to larger ones.
Pope Francis, who is currently attending World Youth Day in Lisbon, gave an interview to Vida Nueva before leaving for Portugal.
It is noteworthy that the mediation activity of the Vatican, as well as other international “actors” gathering in Adu Dhabi, has sharply intensified against the background of the actual failure of the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the southern front of the Donbas confrontation.
2023-08-04 17:48:00
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