Vatican Envoy Heads to China on Ukraine Peace Mission

The Vatican announced that Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Pope's envoy, will travel to China tomorrow, Wednesday, for a visit that will last until Friday as part of a diplomatic effort aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine, thereby confirming earlier Italian media reports. The Vatican stated in a statement on Tuesday, "The visit represents another phase in the mission the Pope envisioned to support humanitarian initiatives and find paths that can lead to a just peace." Previously, the cardinal visited Kyiv and Moscow in June and traveled to Washington the following month in his efforts to facilitate a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. The Italian daily La Repubblica reported that Zuppi is likely to meet with senior officials in Beijing, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang. The Vatican's statement did not provide details regarding the cardinal's agenda.