Addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Sept 20, Archbishop Paul R Gallagher, the Vatican's foreign minister, said today the "entire international community, more than ever, cannot surrender itself and let this issue pass in silence."

"The solution to the war in Ukraine is not only a matter for Ukraine itself," he said. "All member states of the United Nations, and especially those of the Security Council, are called upon to join efforts in the search for a just and lasting peace for Ukraine as an important element of the global peace of which the world thirsts."

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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

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

"We are willing to discuss all this (the situation in Ukraine) with the Americans, with the French, and with the pontiff," Peskov said during a daily telephone news conference on 25 October.

The Russian official was referring to the proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron, who on Monday asked the Roman Pontiff to call Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden, and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill to "promote the peace process" in Ukraine.

In a statement to Le Point magazine, Macron said he encouraged "Pope Francis to call Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill, but also Joe Biden. We need the United States to come to the table to promote the peace process in Ukraine."

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