Pope confirms secret Ukraine peace 'mission' for stranded children
-
Loading... - Marta Dedic
- 01 May 2023
- 69 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Pope Francis holds a news conference as he returns to the Vatican following a visit to Hungary, April 30, 2023. (Reuters Photo)
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS MAY 01, 2023 1:20 PM
Head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis mentioned Sunday that a secret peace "mission" in Russia's war in Ukraine was underway but offered no detail. He, however, said that the Vatican was willing to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war. "I’m available to do anything," Francis said during an airborne press conference en route home from Hungary. "There's a mission that’s not public that’s underway; when it’s public I’ll talk about it."
Francis gave no details when asked whether he spoke about peace initiatives during his talks in Budapest this weekend with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban or the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary.
Deportations of Ukrainian children have been a concern since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Francis said the Holy See had already helped mediate some prisoner exchanges and would do "all that is humanly possible" to reunite families. "All human gestures help. Gestures of cruelty don’t help," Francis said.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s children’s commissioner, accusing them of war crimes for abducting children from Ukraine. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety. Read More…
