A peace mission by the Vatican to try to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is underway, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State of the Holy See.
There are developments, "but, of course, (they are) at a confidential level," Parolin said Wednesday while at the Pontifical Lateranense University.
"I really believe it will move forward," he added.
Pope Francis last month revealed the Vatican's peace mission, saying he was also ready to help repatriate Ukrainian children taken to Russia or Russian-occupied land.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Francis has pleaded for peace on nearly a weekly basis, and has repeatedly expressed a wish to act as a broker between Kyiv and Moscow. His offer has so far failed to produce a breakthrough.
Francis, 86, has said previously that he wants to visit Kyiv but also Moscow on a peace mission.
Ukraine and Russia denied knowledge of the initiative, but Parolin on Wednesday said, "they were not denials."
"They had said they didn't know anything about it, but then there were contacts where it was clarified on both sides that there had been a misunderstanding," Parolin said.
Francis in February went to the Russian embassy to the Vatican to express his concern over Russia's invasion of Ukraine to Moscow's ambassador in an unprecedented departure from diplomatic protocol.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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