On the second day of his mission to Russia as the Pope’s special envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi meets with Metropolitan Antonij of Volokolamsk and the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, in hopes of continuing work to repatriate Ukrainian minors.
The “humanitarian issues related to the conflict in Ukraine” were the focus of the conversation on Tuesday, October 15, between Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, the Pope’s special envoy to Russia, and Metropolitan Antonij of Volokolamsk, President of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The meeting took place on the second day of Cardinal Zuppi’s second mission to Russia, where he returned to “facilitate the reunification of Ukrainian children with their families and the exchange of prisoners, in view of achieving the much-hoped-for peace.”
The Cardinal met in the morning with Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, and later with Metropolitan Antonij, accompanied by their respective delegations.
Cardinal Zuppi’s delegation included the Apostolic Nuncio to the Russian Federation, Archbishop Giovanni D’Aniello, according to the official website of the Patriarchate, which also published several photos of the meeting, showing the two men seated opposite each other at a large table.
In the photos, the “Foreign Minister” of the Moscow Patriarchate—who has visited Rome four times for private meetings with Pope Francis—was seated next to the Vice-President of the DECR, Archimandrite Filaret (Bulekov), and Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk.
Meeting between the Cardinal and the Moscow Patriarchate delegation
Greetings from Patriarch Kirill
Metropolitan Antonij of Volokolamsk “greeted the guests on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Rus’,” read the Patriarchate’s statement.
The statement mentioned that “during the conversation, the parties discussed humanitarian issues related to the conflict in Ukraine, as well as other matters of mutual interest.”
Cardinal Zuppi and Metropolitan Antonij had already met on June 29, 2023, during the Cardinal’s first mission to Moscow for the second stop of a visit that also took him to Kyiv, Washington, and Beijing.
The Metropolitan was part of the delegation that accompanied Patriarch Kirill to the meeting with the Pope’s emissary. “We appreciate that His Holiness has sent you to Moscow,” the Patriarch had said on that occasion.
Meeting with Commissioner Lvova-Belova
During his first mission to Russia, Cardinal Zuppi had met with Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, appointed by President Putin.
On Tuesday, the two met for an encounter that was described as a “constructive” conversation, according to the commissioner herself, in a statement posted on her Telegram channel.
She emphasized that “cooperation with the Pope’s envoy and the Apostolic Nunciature in the Russian Federation has been ongoing for over a year.”
The focus of the talks between Cardinal Zuppi and Ms. Lvova-Belova was the repatriation of Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia.
According to the Ukrainian government, over 19,000 minors are involved. A small group has already been reunited with their families, thanks in part to the mediation channel opened by the Holy See.
“We discussed the results and further interaction in the interest of families and children, including the reunification of families from Russia and Ukraine,” said the commissioner in her post, providing details of the meeting with the Cardinal. “We are doing this with the participation of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We decided to continue working together.”
Cardinal Zuppi with Foreign Minister Lavrov
Meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov
On Monday, upon his arrival in Moscow, Cardinal Zuppi had a conversation with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about “cooperation in the humanitarian sphere in the context of the conflict in Ukraine” and other international issues.
A statement from the Ministry released the same day emphasized the “constructive development” of the Russia-Holy See dialogue.
