Pope Francis has asked Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, head of the Italian bishops’ conference, on a peace mission to try to help end the war in Ukraine, the Vatican announced Saturday.
Francis first spoke cryptically about his intention to launch a mission when he returned from a trip to Hungary last month, but he gave no details.
A Vatican diplomatic source said Zuppi would try to meet privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Vatican said in a statement that Zuppi, 67, will carry out a mission, with the consent of the Vatican Secretariat of State, to contribute to the de-escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, with the hope, it never again. now abandoned by the Holy Father, that this can trigger peace processes.
The Vatican said the timing and details of the mission are still being worked out.
