The Vatican is pressing ahead with a plan to try to reunite Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war with their families, a Vatican official says.
FILE - Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, head of the CEI , welcomes parishioners after celebrating Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow, Thursday, June 29, 2023. Pope Francis’ peace envoy was travelling to Washington on Monday, July 17 in hopes of promoting peace initiatives for Ukraine and supporting humanitarian operations, especially concerning children, the Vatican said.
The Vatican’s initiative follows a similar one involving Russia-Ukraine prisoner swaps in which the Holy See delivered lists of prisoners to be exchanged, Francis has said. It is unclear how many prisoners have been exchanged under the Vatican initiative. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made very clear to Francis during their meeting at the Vatican in May that Kyiv had no interest in the Holy See’s offer to facilitate peace negotiations. But Zelenskyy expressly asked for the Vatican’s help to bring the children back.
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