2023-05-20 20:23:07
Pope don’t go backwards and is continuing its efforts to appease the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. The Vatican press office confirmed this Saturday that Francis has decided to entrust the Italian cardinal Matteo Zuppilinked to the main organization that usually exercises the parallel diplomacy of the Holy See, “a mission that contributes to ease tensions of the conflict” in Ukraine.
That means that Francis has decided go forward in their efforts to achieve Ukraine and Russia agree to a truce. And, for this, Francisco has chosen one of his senior diplomats. In fact, Zuppi is not only the head of the Italian bishops today. His resume also includes participation in successful peace mediations in African countries like Mozambiqueas a member of the Community of Sant’Egidio, a Catholic organization involved for decades in conflict resolution. And, in 2017, she also participated in an act of delivery of ETA weapons in the French city of Bayonne.
Still, Francis’ decision, which has been rumored all week, comes in a Difficult moment. It comes at a time when Western countries have reaffirmed their military support for Ukraine, China is attempting a dubiously successful mediation, and neither Russia shows signs of being open to a real dialogue with the country that invaded almost a year and a half ago.
No news from the emissary to Moscow
As for kyiv, the Ukrainian President himself, Volodimir ZelenskyHe affirmed, in his recent trip to Rome during which he met Francis, that kyiv does not need “mediators” to end the war. Which perhaps also explains the very measured words of the brief statement offered by the Vatican. According to this text, in fact, the Pope has not yet established the times and modalities of Zuppi’s mission. “They are being studied,” he has communicated.
Along the same lines, the emissary that the Pope should send to Moscow to mediate with the Kremlin has not been reported. In recent days, the Italian press has speculated that it could be Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, successor of the Argentine cardinal Leonardo Sandri at the head of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches. Gugerotti is a great connoisseur of Russia and surroundings, since he was nuncio (Vatican ambassador) in Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus.
continued diplomacy
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Since last year, the Pope has been involved in various mediations between Ukraine and Moscow on humanitarian issues, in particular for the exchange of soldiers captured by both sides. And, more recently, both Zelensky and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal have asked him for help in getting the return of Ukrainian children transferred to Russia.
But this no longer seems to be enough for Francisco. On the contrary, the Pope has recently even resumed dialogue with the Russian Orthodox, after last year Cyril I and Francis had a very strong exchange of opinions. The reason, commented this week a vatican fountain this journalist, is that “the war in Ukraine already occupies 50% of what the Pope does and thinks”.
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