Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, will be in Kiev today and tomorrow as Pope Francis’ envoy in the Vatican’s peace mission. This was announced by the Vatican’s press office. As reported in the relaunched communication by the Religious Information Service (SIR), “it is an initiative whose main purpose is to listen deeply to the Ukrainian authorities about possible ways to achieve a just peace and to support the gestures of humanity”. Help relieve tension”.
That’s why the Vatican continues to weave its web to seek rapprochement between the two sides. But at the moment it is a total dead end. On the contrary. In the past few hours, Russian officials have announced that they are rejecting a “wide-scale offensive” by Ukrainian forces in Donetsk, as fighting intensifies between the two armies in disputed areas.
Ukraine, on the other hand, has never concealed that its aim is to reclaim the lost lands of Kiev, and therefore it is preparing a large-scale counterattack. “Russian terror must be defeated every day and every night, in every region of Ukraine, in the skies of every city and village in Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a message of encouragement to the nation, published on Telegram today. “Every time the attack by Russian terrorists fails, their defeat will be a long-term source of security.” As for his interlocutor, Putin’s line has not changed since the beginning of the conflict: Russia will lay down its arms only when Kiev accepts the conditions imposed by the Kremlin.
What we know about the Vatican’s peacekeeping mission
So Zuppi’s task seems to be extremely difficult and close to impossible. But the Holy See’s action continues. As early as May, in an informal meeting with journalists returning from Hungary, Pope Francis announced that an initiative was on the way to open negotiations. “The path to peace is for everyone. I am ready to do whatever is necessary. A task is underway right now: I will talk about it when it becomes public,” said the Pope. However, both Russia and Ukraine stated that they were unaware of these initiatives initiated by the Vatican.
The meeting between Zelensky and Pope Francis, which took place a few days later, confirmed that the positions of the Pope and the Ukrainian leader are (and are) still far away. Both had “agreed on the need to continue humanitarian efforts to support the people,” but there had been no real rapprochement beyond the Vatican’s usual statements. So much so that shortly after the meeting, Zelensky made an appeal to the Pope not to consider Russia as “equal” with Ukraine. “It was an honor for me to meet His Holiness, but he knows my situation: the war is in Ukraine and the plan must come from Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president later said in an interview with Porta a Porta. Zelensky later added that he was interested in “incorporating the Vatican and Italy into our peace formula,” provided we follow the line drawn by Kiev.
Zelensky’s position is clear. Pope Francis is well aware that taking the side of Ukraine without the ifs and buts will make Moscow even more uncomfortable. And as such, it will risk killing any budding attempt at dialogue. For this reason, the Vatican chooses not to openly show that it is a party, and mediation continues without major statements and, above all, without attention. Matteo Maria Zuppi’s agenda is strictly top secret for now.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
