The pontiff spoke about the two roles of the Vatican – the voice of the world and the intermediary in the conflict. The Pope believes that being the voice of the world is more effective, while the role of an intermediary is more complicated and less realistic in the conditions of the current war.
Papa Lev XIV explained that to achieve peace we need the efforts of many players who could force the parties to agree. He noticed that when the Vatican offered negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, he was aware of the consequences of such a step and sought to maintain a neutral position, not taking the side of one of the parties.
At the same time, the pontiff emphasized the importance of hope and faith in human nature and then urge people to look for peaceful ways to resolve conflicts.
Context
After the first round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on May 16, the Secretary of State of Vatican Cardinal Pietro Passoli said that the then pontiff offers the Vatican as a possible platform for the following negotiations. President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky reported that the next meetings with the aggressor country may take place in Turkey, Switzerland or Vatican.
However, on May 23, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected the idea of holding a new round of negotiations in the Vatican. Despite this, on May 27, Cardinal Passolin confirmed the readiness of the holy throne to provide a “protected place” for negotiations, noting that the Vatican acts as a platform, not an intermediary.
On June 4, the Pope Lev XIV held telephone conversations with the illegitimate President of Russia Vladimir Putin, discussing topical issues and the possibility of resolving the conflict.
