Ukrainian official discusses taken children with Vatican envoy
Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff thanked a Vatican envoy on Tuesday for his efforts in trying to bring home thousands of children forcibly taken to Russia and asked him for help in returning prisoners of war. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi has visited both Russia and Ukraine on a mission mandated by Pope Francis […]
For Pope Francis and Vatican diplomats, peace in Ukraine more important than ideology
Vatican City RNS On Palm Sunday, Pope Francis once again expressed his closeness to the “martyred” country of Ukraine, while also praying for the victims of the “vile terrorist attack” in Moscow on Friday that left 139 people dead and many more wounded. As many Christians draw closer to Easter, Pope Francis and the Vatican […]
Celebration of lay Catholics of Sant’Egidio highlights group’s growing influence
Vatican City RNS A crowd that included both Vatican dignitaries and the disabled and vulnerable gathered in Rome’s Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls on Thursday to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the lay Catholic movement of Sant’Egidio, considered Pope Francis’ favorite movement and a key player in the pontiff’s foreign diplomacy efforts. Beneath the massive […]
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says he discussed peace formula with Pope; Ukraine gives details of alleged POW killings
Kyiv, UkraineReuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he discussed Ukraine’s peace formula in a call with Pope Francis on Thursday. “We discussed our joint work to put Ukraine’s Peace Formula into action,” Zelenskiy said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Pope Francis shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, at the Vatican, on 13th […]
“Nothing is lost in peace”: Pope Francis mobilising Vatican diplomats to quell a world war he says has begun
CLAIRE GIANGRAVÉ, of Religion News Service, reports on how Pope Francis and the Vatican are pursuing peace in the globe’s two major conflicts, working through official and unofficial channels…
Pope’s Ukraine peace envoy raises stalled Black Sea grain exports in Beijing talks
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis’ Ukraine peace envoy discussed the need to resume Ukraine grain exports to feed the world’s hungry during a meeting Thursday with a Chinese official while on a mission to Beijing, the Vatican said. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi met with Li Hui, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs, at the Chinese foreign ministry. According […]
Vatican is moving ahead with plan to reunite Ukrainian children taken to Russia with their families
Rome, ItalyAP The Vatican is pressing ahead with a plan to try to reunite Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war with their families, a senior Vatican official said. The effort follows an explicit request by Ukraine and Russia has expressed an apparent willingness to engage in the process. The Vatican official spoke to […]
Biden to meet with Pope’s Ukraine peace envoy, with the plight of children top of cardinal’s agenda
Rome, ItalyAP US President Joe Biden will meet with Pope Francis’ peace envoy Tuesday as part of the Holy See’s peace and humanitarian initiatives for Ukraine, with the plight of Ukrainian children taken to Russia topping the agenda, the White House and Vatican said Monday. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi is visiting Washington through Wednesday, a trip that follows his recent mission to […]
Pope envoy working on “mechanism” to return children to Ukraine
Rome, ItalyReuters Pope Francis’ peace envoy for Ukraine, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, said on Tuesday he is working on a “mechanism” that could ensure the return of children who according to Kyiv have been abducted to Russia. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis’ envoy and President of Italian Episcopal Conference, leads a mass at the Cathedral of […]
Papal envoy says Moscow visit focused on humanitarian issues, not peace plan
Milan ItalyReuters Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi said on Sunday his mission to Moscow on the Ukraine war was focused on humanitarian issues and had not involved any discussions of a peace plan. Pope Francis had in May asked Zuppi, head of the Italian bishops’ conference, to carry out a peace mission to try to […]