‘Din of weapons’ diminishes peace initiatives for Ukraine, says Pope
Vatican City, Aug 15 (EFE).- Pope Francis Tuesday urged for calm in war-torn regions, including Ukraine, emphasizing that the pursuit of peace was being overshadowed by the noise of weaponry.
On the feast of the Assumption of Mary, Francis renewed his calls for peace in Ukraine and across the globe.
He lamented that there are so many areas of the world afflicted by war, places where “the din of weapons covers up attempts at dialogue” and “the right of force prevail over the force of right.”
“But let us not be discouraged,” the Pope said. “Let us continue to hope and pray.”
Francis has embarked on a mission for global peace, particularly in Ukraine.
He has appointed sent Cardinal Matteo Zuppi as a Vatican peace envoy for Ukraine.
The Pope has said he planned to appoint a permanent representative to serve as a bridge between the Russian and Ukrainian authorities.
He said the special envoy to mediate in the war will travel to Beijing, after having already visited Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington.
“Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, is working hard as the person in charge of the dialogues” and “the most significant advance has to do with the return of Ukrainian children to their country,” he said in an interview with the Spanish Catholic magazine Vida Nueva earlier this month.
The Pope has been a vocal advocate for peace, consistently calling on world leaders and individuals alike to work towards resolving conflict through peaceful means.
He has made numerous appeals for prayers for the people suffering because of the Ukraine war.
Francis appointed Zuppi, who heads the Italian Bishops’ Conference and has vast experience in conflict resolution to lead the Vatican’s mission “to help ease tensions in the conflict in Ukraine.”
Zuppi visited the Ukrainian capital on June 5-6 where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several other high-level officials.
The cardinal then traveled to Moscow on June 28-30, where he met with Yuri Ushakov, assistant to the President of the Russian Federation for Foreign Policy Affairs, and Maria Lvova-Belova, Children’s Rights Commissioner for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In July, he met US President Joe Biden met to discuss the Vatican’s peace efforts to stop the Ukraine war.
The cardinal is now set to travel to China as part of the peace mission. EFE
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