Vatican could be a venue for Russia-Ukraine talks, Rubio says, after pope renews an offer to help

ROME – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that the Vatican could beryllium a venue for Russia-Ukraine bid talks, taking up the Holy See’s longstanding connection aft Pope Leo XIV vowed to personally marque “every effort” to assistance extremity the war.

Speaking to reporters successful Rome earlier gathering with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Vatican constituent antheral connected Ukraine, Rubio said that helium would beryllium discussing imaginable ways the Vatican could help, “the presumption of the talks, the updates aft yesterday (Friday) and the way forward.”

Asked if the Vatican could beryllium a bid broker, Rubio replied: “I wouldn’t telephone it broker, but it’s surely — I deliberation it’s a spot that some sides would beryllium comfy going.”

“So we’ll speech astir each of that and evidently ever grateful to the Vatican for their willingness to play this constructive and affirmative role,” helium said astatine the U.S. Embassy successful Rome.

The Vatican has a contented of diplomatic neutrality and had agelong offered its services to effort to assistance facilitate talks, but recovered itself sidelined during the all-out war, which began connected Feb. 24, 2022.

Pope Francis, who often angered some sides with his comments, had entrusted Zuppi with a mandate to effort to find paths of peace. But the mandate seemed to constrictive to assistance facilitate the instrumentality of Ukrainian children taken by Russia, and the Holy See besides was capable to mediate immoderate prisoner exchanges.

Leo, who was elected history’s archetypal American pope connected May 8, took up Francis’ telephone for bid successful Ukraine successful his first Sunday noon blessing arsenic pope. He appealed for each sides to bash immoderate imaginable to scope “an authentic, conscionable and lasting peace.”

Leo, who arsenic a bishop successful Peru had called Russia's warfare an “imperialist invasion," vowed this week personally to “make every effort truthful that this bid whitethorn prevail.”

In a code to eastbound rite Catholics, including the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine, Leo begged warring sides to conscionable and negotiate.

“The Holy See is ever acceptable to assistance bring enemies together, look to face, to speech to 1 another, truthful that peoples everyplace whitethorn erstwhile much find anticipation and retrieve the dignity they deserve, the dignity of peace,” helium said.

The Vatican caput of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, repeated the Vatican’s connection to service arsenic a venue for nonstop talks, saying the failure of negotiations successful Istanbul to scope a ceasefire this week was “tragic.”

“We had hoped it could commencement a process, dilatory but positive, toward a peaceful solution to the conflict,” Parolin said connected the sidelines of a conference. “But alternatively we’re backmost to the beginning.”

Asked concretely what specified an connection would entail, Parolin said that the Vatican could service arsenic a venue for a nonstop gathering betwixt the 2 sides.

“One would purpose to get astatine this, that astatine slightest they talk. We’ll spot what happens. It’s an connection of a place,” helium said.

“We person ever said, repeated to the 2 sides that we are disposable to you, with each the discretion needed,” Parolin said.

The Vatican scored what was possibly its greatest diplomatic achievement of the Francis pontificate erstwhile it facilitated the talks betwixt the United States and Cuba successful 2014 that resulted successful the resumption of diplomatic relations.

The Holy See has besides often hosted acold little concealed diplomatic initiatives, specified arsenic erstwhile it brought unneurotic the rival leaders of South Sudan successful 2019. The brushwood was made celebrated by the representation of Francis bending down to kiss their feet to beg them to marque peace.

Perhaps the Holy See's astir critical diplomatic initiative came during the highest of the Cuban rocket situation when, successful the autumn of 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev ordered a concealed deployment of atomic missiles successful Cuba that were soon detected by U.S. spy planes.

As the Kennedy medication considered its response, with the menace of atomic warfare looming, Pope John XXIII pleaded for bid successful a nationalist vigor address, successful a code to Vatican ambassadors and besides wrote privately to Kennedy and Khruschev, appealing to their emotion of their radical to basal down.

Many historians person credited John XXIII’s appeals with helping some sides measurement backmost from the brink of atomic war.

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