Pope Francis' secret peace mission
Amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pope Francis has revealed that a secret ‘peace mission’ in Russia’s war in Ukraine was underway; however, he gave no details. The Pope also said that Vatican City is willing to help to bring back the Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war.
Secret mission to rescue Ukrainian children
In an airborne press conference en route home from Hungary, Francis said, “I’m available to do anything.”
“There’s a mission that’s not public that’s underway; when it’s public I’ll talk about it,” he said.
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.
Since last year amid the Russian-Ukraine war, deportations of Ukrainian children have been a great concern for the world and the Vatican also. 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.
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Arrest warrant against Putin & Russia’s Children’s Commissioner
Accusing the Russian President and officials of war crimes of abducting children from Ukraine, the International Criminal Court in March issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and Russia’s children’s commissioner.
Despite all the allegations, Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety.
Last week, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Pope Francis at the Vatican and asked him to help return Ukrainian children taken following the Russian invasion.
Ukraine seeks help from the Vatican
Speaking to the media after the meeting, the prime minister said, “I asked His Holiness to help us return home Ukrainians, Ukrainian children who are detained, arrested, and criminally deported to Russia.”
Francis recalled that the Holy See had facilitated some prisoner exchanges, working through embassies, and was open to Ukraine’s request to reunite Ukrainian children with their families.
The prisoner exchanges “went well. I think it could go well also for this. It’s important,” he said of the family reunifications.
“The Holy See is available to do it because it’s the right thing,” he added. “We have to do all that is humanly possible.”
