During his general audience on 16 October, Pope Francis focused on the Nicene Creed, recited by Catholics during Mass. He reflected on the addition of the Latin term "Filioque", meaning "and from the Son".

He noted that this phrase in the creed sparked a major theological disagreement between the Eastern and Western Churches. It is known as the "Filioque controversy".

The dispute eventually culminated in the Great Schism of 1054.

However, the pope suggested "the climate of dialogue between the two Churches has lost the acrimony of the past and today allows us to hope for full mutual acceptance".

Reconciled differences

Francis emphasised the importance of moving beyond past disputes, calling for reconciliation and unity among Christians despite their differences. He added, "I like to say this: 'Reconciled differences'", emphasising the importance of working together despite theological variations.

The pope explained that while different Christian groups have distinct practices, "the important thing is that these differences are reconciled in the love of walking together".

Pope Francis' appeal for unity came as his peace envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, concluded a visit to Moscow. There, Zuppi met with Metropolitan Anthony of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Several Orthodox and Protestant leaders are in Rome this month as "fraternal delegates" in the ongoing Synod on Synodality assembly. Among them are representatives of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All of Africa, the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, the Lutheran World Federation and the World Mennonite Conference.

Ending the audience, Pope Francis called for prayers for peace in conflict zones around the world.

"Let us not forget war-torn Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar" he said. "Brothers and sisters, let us remember that war is always, always, a defeat. Let us not forget this, and let us pray for peace and work for peace."

Sources

Catholic News Agency

CathNews New Zealand

The cardinal's trip to Moscow is to "evaluate further efforts to promote family reunification of Ukrainian children and the exchange of prisoners, with a view to achieving the much-hoped-for peace," according to the Vatican.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed on Oct. 14 that the Italian cardinal began a visit to Moscow on Monday after Russia's ministry of foreign affairs published a photo of Zuppi shaking hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Pope Francis asked Zuppi to serve as a papal envoy to "initiate paths of peace" between Russia and Ukraine in May 2023.

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The Pope has made it clear that pursuing peace is a top priority.

Meanwhile, Vatican officials are working tirelessly to promote peace through various channels.

"I encourage faithful to take only one side in this conflict, the side of peace" Francis said during his weekly audience on October 18.

Vatican diplomats have aligned with international voices in urging a renewed pursuit of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

They are advocating for the establishment of a viable Palestinian state alongside security assurances for Israel. This is a stance consistent with the Holy See's position since 2013.

Pope Francis also urged the faithful to support the cause of peace. He emphasised the importance of dialogue to end the cycle of violence.

During a visit to a military cemetery on All Souls Day, Francis commented "Wars are always a defeat, always. There is never a total victory. One side wins over the other. But behind that, there is always defeat in the price that has to be paid."

Francis has also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the creation of humanitarian corridors to help relieve the suffering of its besieged inhabitants.

Serious concern

Meanwhile, Vatican diplomats have engaged with world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to promote this message of peace.

The Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, expressed serious concern to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian about the situation in Israel and Palestine.

In response to the conflict in Ukraine, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna, as his personal peace envoy.

It remains unclear whether the pope will appoint another envoy for the Mideast. However, Zuppi has weighed in on the hostilities in Gaza. He underlined the need "for an authoritative Palestinian leadership that is capable of defending its people."

Francis admitted to Italian news channel TG1 that, without paths for dialogue, "the war in the Holy Land scares me" and talked about his concerns for an escalation of the conflict.

"The time is very dark" he said. "We can't seem to find the ability to think clearly and I will add that it's a further defeat. It's been this way since the last world war, from 1945 until now, one defeat after the other because wars never stopped."

Sources

Religion News Service

Reuters

Zuppi was in Washington DC from July 17-19 along with an unnamed representative of the Vatican's Secretariat of State to "continue the mission entrusted to him by Pope Francis and, in this context, to meet with the President of the United States, Joseph Biden," according to a July 19 Vatican statement.

It marked the third stage in Zuppi's mission as the pope's special envoy on Ukraine, following a visit to Kyiv in early June, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top-level church and government leaders, and to Moscow in late June, where he members of Russia's foreign ministry as well as Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, but did not meet with President Vladimir Putin.

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"The tragic reality of this war that seems to have no end, demands of everyone a common creative effort to imagine and forge paths of peace," the pope told a delegation from the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pope Francis has consistently called for an end to the hostilities, denouncing the destruction of Ukrainian communities, the loss of thousands of lives and the displacement of millions. Ukraine was also the biggest beneficiary of the papal charity Peter's Pence in 2022.

In May, the pope appointed Zuppi as his peace envoy. The cardinal recently held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during his visit to Kyiv.

A Vatican statement said Zuppi's consultations in Moscow included meetings with Yuri Ushakov, an adviser to President Vladimir Putin, and Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church.

"(The visit was) aimed at identifying humanitarian initiatives which could open roads to peace," the statement said. It added that further steps would be taken, but gave no details.

Zuppi and Kirill discussed collaborating on a peaceful resolution to the war and the possibility of a future meeting between Pope Francis and the patriarch. Their meeting was deemed fruitful and focused primarily on promoting humanitarian initiatives.

Addressing the challenges in the relationship between Russia and the West, Kirill stressed the importance of preventing a large-scale armed conflict. He called on all parties involved to work together for peace and justice.

"I believe that in the current conditions, marked by great risks and dangers, the church can, through joined efforts, prevent the negative development of the political circumstances," Kirill said at the meeting, according to a statement.

Papal visit to Moscow would be unprecedented

While it may be premature to expect a visit from Pope Francis to Moscow, Vatican diplomacy expert Victor Gaetan noted the pope's desire to make an official trip to Russia, which would be unprecedented.

"The meeting between Kirill and Zuppi at this time is a symbol that the two lungs of the church, the Catholic and Orthodox are healthy and may also be a prelude to Pope Francis meeting with Kirill," Gaetan said.

According to Gaetan, the Vatican mission is also aimed at sending a message to the international community. "I read Cardinal Zuppi's very public trip as a lecture Pope Francis is delivering to NATO countries: No diplomacy is possible without direct personal encounter," he said.

During Zuppi's visit, the cardinal also met with Russian officials to discuss humanitarian issues in Ukraine, particularly the well-being of displaced minors.

The results of Zuppi's mission will be presented to Pope Francis to determine future steps and humanitarian initiatives.

Sources

US News & World Report

Religion News Service

America Magazine

CathNews New Zealand

Speaking to journalists on the margins of a June 7 book presentation the day after returning from Kyiv, Zuppi said the Vatican's objective for the visit was "not a mediation," but rather "expressing interest, closeness, listening so that the conflict can find paths to peace."

"The rest are expectations or speculations that some have," he said.

Zuppi's effort to distance the Vatican from a "mediator" role may have been an attempt to defuse Ukrainian sensitivities.

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"The main purpose of this initiative is to listen in depth to the Ukrainian authorities about possible ways to achieve a just peace and to support gestures of humanity that will help ease tensions," a Vatican press statement said of the 67-year-old cardinal's visit before Zuppi departed.

Cardinal Zuppi (pictured), is president of the Italian Bishops' Conference and often mentioned as a potential future pope, was likely chosen for this mission due to his active role in mediating the end of a civil war in Mozambique during the 1980s.

However, the details of Cardinal Zuppi's agenda were not disclosed, and the outlines of the task the pope has entrusted to him remained particularly vague.

This peace mission comes less than a month after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Rome, where he met with the pope. Following the meeting, Ukrainian officials dismissed the possibility of Vatican mediation in resolving the conflict with Russia.

President Zelensky declared, "We don't need a mediator between Ukraine and the aggressor."

Tensions within the Vatican

In response, Vatican officials have said that Cardinal Zuppi's mission is aimed at something different.

"This mission does not have the immediate objective of mediation, but rather of creating this climate and helping to move towards a peaceful solution," declared Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope's Secretary of State, on May 26.

The statements made by Cardinal Pietro Parolin on May 26 exemplify the internal tensions within the Vatican regarding the merits of Cardinal Zuppi's undertaking. Some within the Secretariat of State view the mission as bypassing the ongoing diplomatic efforts of the Holy See.

While Cardinal Zuppi's visit is currently limited to Kyiv, members of the papal entourage have indicated that this mission aims to tour three other capitals: Washington, Beijing and, most crucially, Moscow.

A trip to Moscow appears plausible, but the same cannot be said for China, as the Holy See lacks diplomatic relations with Beijing, maintaining only strict pastoral ties through an agreement on the appointment of bishops.

Foreign diplomats in Rome have expressed scepticism regarding Cardinal Zuppi's potential to achieve a breakthrough in the Ukraine-Russia war. One ambassador candidly remarked, "It's a suicide mission, isn't it?"

Another diplomat noted, "No one has ever succeeded in doing this. Ukraine is not Mozambique."

Sources

Reuters

La Croix International

Vatican News

CathNews New Zealand

The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement about the peace initiative was Moscow's first public acknowledgement of the pope's overtures.

It followed the Vatican's weekend announcement that Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (pictured), has been suggested as Francis's envoy. Zuppi is a veteran of the Catholic Church's peace mediation initiatives.

"We acknowledge the Holy See's sincere desire to promote the peace process," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"At the same time, no practical steps have been taken by the Vatican side to organise the trip to Moscow."

Zuppi said his mission aims to "help ease the tensions of the conflict" so it could contribute to "paths of peace."

He drew a parallel to his efforts in the 1990s. Then he and the Rome-based Sant'Egidio Community helped mediate the peace talks that ended Mozambique's civil war.

Mozambique experience

Zuppi noted the church's initiative in Mozambique began with a hope to find "paths of peace". It resulted in meetings that brought warring sides closer together with "bonds weaved" between factions. Ultimately a peace deal resulted.

"The effort (in Ukraine) will definitely be in that sense," Zuppi said.

"We'll see."

The peace mission

Francis announced the peace mission's existence while en route home from Hungary last month.

While in Hungary he had met with an envoy of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Russian Orthodox Church has strongly supported the Kremlin's war.

In the weeks since, Francis has met at the Vatican with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy made clear he would not accept territorial concessions. He rejected Francis's reference to victims on both sides of the conflict. There can be no equivalence between victim and aggressor, he said.

Zuppi noted that Francis's hope for peace had "brought the Holy Father to tears." His comment referred to Francis weeping before a statue of the Madonna in downtown Rome as he prayed for peace in Ukraine last December.

Source

• AP News

Zuppi is a prominent Italian cardinal known for his close association with the pontiff.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni announced the development on Saturday, revealing that the specific details and timeline for the mission are currently being evaluated.

"I can confirm that Pope Francis has entrusted Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Bishops Conference, with a mission to contribute to easing tensions in the conflict in Ukraine. The Holy Father holds on to the hope that this mission can pave the way for peace."

The announcement follows Pope Francis' recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican.

After the meeting, Zelenskyy expressed scepticism about the possibility of any mediation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Secret peace mission

Pope Francis said at the end of April that the Vatican was involved in a secret peace mission to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Speaking to the press travelling with him, the pontiff said: "Everyone is interested in the path of peace. I am willing, I am willing to do whatever needs to be done. Even now a mission is underway, but it's not public yet, we'll see...

"When it's public, then I'll speak about it."

Both Ukrainian and Russian officials quickly denied that negotiations were taking place. Still, a close papal aide confirmed the pope's statement in an interview with an Italian news outlet published earlier this month.

Bruni said Pope Francis hopes the operation, which will be carried out in agreement with the Secretariat of State, "can initiate paths of peace."

According to Il Sismografo, an Italian blog, the governments of Ukraine and Russia have replied to the Vatican and declared their availability in principle.

Francis has repeatedly denounced the war, warned against a buildup of weapons in the conflict and prayed for the suffering Ukrainian people. However, he generally shied away from blaming Putin in his many comments on the war.

The pontiff has expressed his willingness to visit Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, with the intention of aiding the peace process. However, he has stipulated that such a visit would be possible only if he could also make a corresponding visit to Moscow.

Sources

AP News

Catholic News Agency

Kyiv Post

Il Sismografo

CathNews New Zealand

"To poison ecclesial relations with the logic of politics is making trouble," says Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the president of the Italian bishops' conference.

This isn't just a problem in Italy, he adds. It is also evident in "the marked political polarisation seen in the American church.

"But wherever politics has used pseudo-theological or spiritual categories to contaminate ecclesial life, everyone has lost in the end."

Zuppi says we must pay close attention to this issue - partly because of manipulation from the outside and also because of the divisions within.

"Trouble results from falling into these traps, for example, of false conflicts between the social and spiritual (dimensions) or the often-contrived divisions on ethical issues," he added.

Polarisation and the problems it causes are everywhere. It's "ruling supreme on every issue, big and small," he says.

Zuppi points out that taking sides seems like a quick and easy way to respond to the many complexities in the world. There's no requirement to think or tackle too many questions, he says.

"Instead, we have to face complexity without fear, to ask ourselves questions, especially questions concerning ‘who,' that is, putting the human person at the centre" of the discussion.

When it comes to ethical issues, Zuppi says "we cannot simply repeat little lectures from the past, instead we must find new words for new questions".

"To be very frank, if the world is heading (in) the other direction on ethical issues, it certainly means that we must not conform to or say what the world wants to hear, but that we must know how to tell the eternal truths in today's culture" or terminology.

"Otherwise, we repeat a truth that has become hard to accept."

Zuppi notes that St Paul VI called for increased participation of the laity, church reform and outreach to the marginalised in the years ahead of the Second Vatican Council. The large numbers who have left the Church aren't the problem, he says.

"The problem is not them, it is us."

People are implicitly calling for "a Church that is more evangelical, more motherly and, for this reason, demanding and engaging, that does not play the (wicked) stepmother and says, ‘I told you so,'" he added.

Source

• Crux Now

Francis' widely expected choice was announced during the second day of the spring meeting of the conference. Zuppi, 66, is currently the archbishop of Bologna and has long been affiliated with the Sant'Egidio Community, a Catholic charity particularly close to Francis.

The Italian Catholic Church is one of the few in western Europe that has not opened its archives to independent researchers to establish the scope of abuse and cover-up in recent decades.

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"When communities will truly begin to look at people as God looks at them, then homosexual people — and everybody else — will begin to feel, naturally, a part of the ecclesial community," Zuppi says in the preface of a newly released book.

"Church and Homosexuality: An Inquiry in Light of Pope Francis' Magisterium," written by Luciano Moia, is hitting the shelves this week in Italy.

The Church considers gay and lesbian relationships as "intrinsically disordered" and does not recognise marriage between two people of the same sex.

But ever since he quoted "Who am I to judge?" in 2013, Pope Francis has promoted a more inclusive stance toward homosexuality.

In his 2016 encyclical "Amoris Laetitia" (the Joy of Love), Francis called for the need to come alongside members of the LGBT community. He has reiterated this several times since.

In the preface of his book, Moia interviews Zuppi on how best to offer spiritual guidance and welcome members of the LGBT community as Francis expects.

"The Pope, and the Church with him, isn't interested in leading people to follow external rules," Zuppi said.

"His interest is in helping people do the will of God; meaning to enter a personal relationship with God and hear from him the appropriate Word for each life."

Zuppi also said Catholic communities often fail in listening to the needs of people from different walks of life. Not defining a person based on a single characteristic is important, he stressed.

"We mustn't relativise the law, but make it relevant to the concrete person, with their own peculiarities."

In his view, it's more important to have a "specific outlook on people."

"As Christians we must look at the person as a child of God, meaning with the full right to receive, feel and experience the love of God just as any other child of God," he said.

Regardless of the Church's position on homosexuality, Zuppi pointed out that doctrine distinguishes between sexual orientation and homosexual acts.

"What we cannot ‘welcome' is the sin expressed in an act," he said.

"Sexual orientation - which nobody ‘chooses' - isn't necessarily an act. Also, it's not separable from the identity of the person; by welcoming a person we cannot overlook their (sexual) orientation."

Even if an individual leads a lifestyle that is not approved of by the Church, this cannot mean the person is not to be welcomed, Zuppi said.

"If Jesus had this criterion, he would have required the conversion of Zacchaeus."

"Before accompanying the Samaritan to the adoration of God in Spirit and Truth, he would have asked her to regularise her marital situation. … Did Jesus act this way?"

Source

• Religion News Servoce
• Image: La Croix