Pope Francis has indicated that the Vatican is part of a peace mission to try to end the war in Ukraineunleashed on February 24, 2022 by the invasion order given by the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, although he has stressed that “it is not yet public.”

“There’s a mission going on right now, but it’s not public right now. Let’s see how… When it’s public, I’ll talk about it“, said the Pontiff, who has traveled to Hungary to meet with the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, and Metropolitan Hilarion, former ‘Minister of Foreign Affairs’ of the Moscow Patriarchate.

“You can imagine that in this meeting we don’t just talk about Little Red Hood, right?” he said, before emphasizing that he is willing “to do whatever needs to be done.” “Everyone is interested in the path to peace“, he stressed, as reported by the Vatican News news portal.

Thus, he has shown his conviction that “peace is always achieved by opening channels.” “Peace cannot be achieved with closure. I invite everyone to open relationshipschannels of friendship”, pointed out the Pope, who has recognized that “it is not easy”. “I have transferred the same things that I have said in general to Orbán and everywhere”, he explained.

On the other hand, it has shown its willingness to help in the efforts for the return to Ukraine of the children transferred by Russia to its territory in the framework of the invasion. “The Holy See is willing to do it because it is justit is a fair thing and it is necessary to help, so that this is not a ‘casus belli’, but a human case”, has argued.

“It is a problem of humanity rather than a problem of war booty or war transfer. All human gestures help, but gestures of cruelty do not help. We must do everything humanly possible,” Pope Francis said.

He International Criminal Court (TPI) issued on March 17 a arrest warrant against Putin and the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights of the Russian Federation, Maria Alekseievna Lvova-Belova under the presumption of war crimes for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from areas captured during the Ukrainian war to Russian territory.