Rome, Sept 13, (dpa/GNA) – Pope Francis is sending the Vatican’s special envoy for the Ukraine war, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, to China on a three-day diplomatic visit, in a bid to find a peaceful resolution to the war.
“The visit forms as another step of the mission desired by the Pope, to sustain humanitarian initiatives, and to seek paths that may lead to a just peace,” read a statement issued on Tuesday by the Holy See.
The Beijing visit will be the fourth trip for the pope’s peace envoy, although China and the Vatican do not maintain diplomatic relations.
The cardinal visited Kiev, Moscow and Washington this summer, to meet with various political and religious leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and US President Joe Biden, to engage in dialogue with the countries at the centre of the conflict in Ukraine, the statement said.
In Moscow, he met with Russia’s controversial Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill.
The focus of the discussions emphasized “the humanitarian aspects of the mission, and the importance of achieving peace,” the Vatican said.
The Italian cardinal is expected to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday for his visit, which will last until Friday.
Pope Francis has repeatedly called for a peaceful resolution to the Russian war against Ukraine.
The Vatican has repeatedly offered itself as a mediator, since major hostilities broke out in February 2022.
GNA