Cardinal Zuppi: We are trying to bring Ukrainian children home

By Roberto Paglialonga and Deborah Castellano Lubov

After his missions in Ukraine and Moscow, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi has said returning Ukrainian children home, is a key priority.

This was highlighted by the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), Cardinal Zuppi, who answered questions put to him by journalists on Tuesday evening. He also confirmed that he met with the Pope following his recent visits to both Ukraine and Russia to pursue peace and work toward resolving humanitarian issues.

The Archbishop of Bologna's comments came on the sidelines of the presentation of the book Il grido della pace (The cry of peace) by Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio at its headquarters in Rome. 

The priority, Zuppi explained, is "now to work for those who are most disadvantaged, like children." 

He expressed interest in starting a mechanism to help them, and reiterated a strong humanitarian commitment. "We hope to start with the youngest, those who are most fragile," he said.

Closeness to Ukraine

Cardinal Zuppi concluded his 5-6 June mission to Ukraine following an intense schedule of meetings with civil and religious authorities, as well as time dedicated to prayer and reflection, in the country devastated by the ongoing war triggered by the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022. 

During the visit, the Cardinal made a prayer visit to St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, and met President Volodymyr Zelensky, and with other political representatives. A visit to the town of Bucha represented a deeply moving moment for the Cardinal as he prayed before the graves of dozens of civilians who had been killed by Russian troops during their withdrawal from the capital in March 2022. Many of them had been tortured and buried in mass graves.

Cardinal Zuppi then engaged in talks with Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, to discuss the issue of Ukrainian children in Russian-occupied territories and the situation of prisoners, including civilians.

He also met with representatives of the Council of Churches and Religious Organizations.

At the conclusion of the mission on 6 June, a Holy See Press Office statement said, "The results of these talks, like those with religious representatives as well as the direct experience of the atrocious suffering of the Ukrainian people as a result of the ongoing war, will be brought to the Holy Father's attention." The mission, the statement continued, "will undoubtedly be useful to assess the next steps to be taken both on a humanitarian level and in the search for paths to a just and lasting peace."

As stated by a Holy See Press Office statement on the eve of his departure for Kyiv, Cardinal Zuppi undertook the mission aiming “to achieve a just peace and support gestures of humanity that will help ease tensions."

Visit to Moscow

Cardinal Zuppi's 28-30 June visit to Moscow, as the Pope's envoy, the Holy See Press Office stated, was a visit aimed at “identifying humanitarian initiatives that could open up paths to achieving peace.”

It noted that “the Holy Father would be informed regarding the results of the visit in view of further steps to be taken, both at the humanitarian level and in the quest for paths to peace".

During his stay, Cardinal Zuppi engaged in important meetings, such as those with Yuri Ushakov, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation for Foreign Policy Affairs, and with Maria Lvova-Belova, Children's Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation.

“During these meetings,” the statement read, “the humanitarian aspect of the initiative was strongly emphasized, as well as the urgency to be able to attain that peace that is highly desired.”

In a brief visit to the Church of St Nicholas in Tolmachi which is part of the Tretyakov Gallery, Cardinal Zuppi, a communique continued, “paused in prayer before the icon of Our Lady of Vladimir, to whom he entrusted his mission”.

The Pope's envoy also had a “fruitful” meeting with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rusia to whom “he conveyed the Holy Father’s greetings and with whom he also discussed humanitarian initiatives that could facilitate a peaceful solution.”

The Cardinal, the Holy See communiqué concluded, “also met with the Bishops of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia, with whom, together with a large group of priests and in the presence of Ambassadors and Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he presided over a solemn concelebration in the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God, in Moscow.

"This was an opportunity to convey the Holy Father's closeness, his remembrance of them, and prayers for the Catholic community," it said.

Lessons from History

During Tuesday evening's presentation of Andrea Riccardi's book, Cardinal Zuppi underlined how "the book is useful today because it helps us to develop an awareness of the moment we are living (..) and to understand that solutions to war must be sought in the complexity of reality."

War, in fact, he added, "is always a defeat for everyone." For this reason, there is a need 'for the Church today to be able to help" society make "the passage from the 'I' to a greater 'we.'"

Andrea Riccardi stressed that on the part of politics "we need longer thoughts and broader visions, we need a greater investment in diplomacy. We need to take up history and memory, such as those of the Second World War and the Shoah."

He appealed for nurturing a "culture of peace," saying it "must be spread among people."