Cardinal Matteo Zuppi's mission initially involved promoting a peaceful plan, but Moscow rejected it.
Archimandrite Cyril (Hovorun) stated this on his Facebook page.
"Cardinal Zuppi stated that his mission was focused on addressing humanitarian issues rather than advancing a peace plan. I suppose this is what happened. There was indeed a plan, but it was rejected in Moscow. Therefore, the cardinal is now forced to narrow his mission down to humanitarian aspects," he noted.
"It is important to highlight that he made this statement not after meetings in Kyiv but after Moscow. This implies that it is not Kyiv but Moscow that does not want peace. This is how, in my opinion, today's statements by the cardinal can be interpreted. And here's something positive: there is a chance that, at least partially, the Vatican's humanitarian mission will be carried out, and it may result in the return of at least some Ukrainian children to their homes," added Archimandrite Cyril.
Recall that after his trip to Moscow on June 28-29, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the special envoy of Pope Francis, stated that the Vatican does not have a peace plan that could stop the war initiated by Russia against Ukraine.
In the Russian capital, the representative of the Pope met with Yuri Ushakov, an advisor to the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and Cyril, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Before his trip to Moscow, Matteo Zuppi visited Kyiv on June 6, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader called on the Holy See to support the peace formula proposed by Ukraine, emphasizing that a ceasefire and a freeze of hostilities would not lead to genuine peace.