Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis’ envoy on a peace mission to try to end the Russian war against Ukraine, traveled in the summer with that objective to Kyiv, Moscow and Washington. The 67-year-old cardinal, archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), participated in Berlin in the peace meeting of the Community of Sant’Egidio – which was held from Sunday to Tuesday – before traveling to Beijing , where it will remain until Friday. In the German capital, Zuppi did not mention Russia at any time. The trip to China is part of this papal commission for peace in Ukraine, which is perceived by many as a mediation initiative, a concept that the Holy See rejects.
The difficulties in getting out of war are great.
There are many difficulties of a tragic situation created for months, in which we must always remember the aggressor and the attacked and for which, however, a solution must be found.
Why is China important to this process?
Because we must continue pushing in the only direction, which is to create the conditions for a just and secure peace, and that requires the commitment and effort of everyone, particularly the countries with greater weight, like China. Peace requires everyone’s effort, it is not something that someone can impose; It must be the peace chosen by Ukrainians, with the guarantees, commitment and efforts of everyone, and clearly China is one of the most important actors.
What is the time frame?
Times are always eternal. The times of the Holy See and the times of China are notoriously very long.
The Pope’s words to young Russian Catholics, reminding them of the heritage of historical figures of Great Russia, irritated Kyiv and motivated Francis himself to qualify his phrases. Could all this put the solution at risk?
I don’t believe it. The Pope explained and clarified it immediately. If there are dark clouds, they have already cleared or will clear, and they are understandable in such a highly tense situation. I believe that the Ukrainian Government and people know well that they always have the support of the Catholic Church and Pope Francis in the face of their suffering. Furthermore, no one has ever talked about mediation; We are talking about mission, it has always been like this.
The Sant’Egidio event in Berlin has been titled The Audacity of Peace. What audacity do you aspire to?
What is important is the path of creative peace. The paths to peace are also sometimes unpredictable, and I repeat, they need the commitment of everyone, that is, the involvement of everyone in a great alliance so that peace moves in the same direction. This is what Pope Francis does in many ways, with the almoner cardinal [Konrad Krajewski, who has also traveled to Ukraine], with charity, with the many supports, and also with this mission of helping to push in the only direction that requires the involvement of everyone, and that is peace.
There are critics who point out that diplomacy is advancing too slowly and is failing.
If you do nothing, you don’t fail, but you don’t do anything, so it’s always better to try. Of course, this process is slow and, considering the pain and suffering caused by war, peace always comes too late. It should come immediately, or better yet, it should be the state you always live in. Sometimes it takes a lot of patience to rebuild that fabric that division, violence, war, and injustice have torn apart. Patience is needed for times to mature, but also to know how to take advantage of them. And always remember that peace must come. In the end it always arrives, even if it arrives late when it should arrive as soon as possible.
