Cardinal Matteo Zuppi begins his visit to Russia

The President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, the Vatican's special envoy for Ukraine, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, begins his visit to Russia on Sunday, Italian media reported. He will hold talks in Moscow for three days.

This is the third visit of the Italian cardinal to Moscow since the beginning of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Cardinal Zuppi has been carrying out a special mission of the Vatican since 2023 at the request of Pope Francis. Its goal is to help victims of war and find ways to end the conflict.

In recent months, in the fifth year of the ongoing war, the Holy See has again increased its diplomatic activity. In August, the head of Vatican diplomacy, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, visited Moscow and met, among others, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and advisor to President Vladimir Putin, Yuri Ushakov.

In July this year, Cardinal Zuppi visited Kiev, where he prayed for a just peace, visited a prisoner of war camp and met with refugees. During the visit, he gave them symbolic key chains, which - according to the Vatican media - were supposed to be a sign of hope for a soon return home.

Cardinal Zuppi's visits are part of the Vatican's extensive humanitarian mission, which aims to alleviate the effects of the war and bring it to an end. The Holy See consistently appeals for the protection of the civilian population, the release of prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children to their homeland.