The Vatican envoy who traveled to both Ukraine and Russia on the direction of Pope Francis met with President Biden.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna, sat down for two and a half hours with Biden at the White House on Tuesday evening.
Zuppi and Biden discussed “the Holy See’s efforts providing humanitarian aid to address the widespread suffering caused by Russia’s continuing aggression in Ukraine,” according to the Vatican.
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Following the meeting, the White House said Biden “shared his wishes for Pope Francis’ continued ministry and global leadership and welcomed the recent nomination of a U.S. archbishop as cardinal.”
Zuppi has headed diplomatic missions to both Ukraine and Russia since the beginning of the invasion last year, hoping to broker peace and minimize bloodshed.
Russian officials have publicly expressed openness to the Vatican’s attempts to broker an end to the conflict but has criticized a lack of “practical steps.”
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“We acknowledge the Holy See’s sincere desire to promote the peace process,” the Russian Foreign Ministry previously said.
“At the same time, no practical steps have been taken by the Vatican side to organize the trip to Moscow.”
Pope Francis has consistently offered himself as a negotiator and moderator for peace between Russia and Ukraine since the invasion began last year.
The pontiff has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Vatican City, worked with the Ukrainian government to care for displaced Ukrainian children and hosted Russian Orthodox church leaders for discussion.
