Pope’s peace envoy arrives in Moscow after the short-lived Wagner rebellion

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis’ peace envoy arrived in Moscow on Tuesday in hopes of helping find “a solution to the tragic current situation” of the war in Ukraine, weeks after making a preliminary visit to Kyiv, the Vatican said.

The mission by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, a veteran of the Catholic Church’s peace initiatives, comes as the Kremlin is reeling from the weekend armed rebellion led by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Russia has since dropped charges against Prigozhin and others who took part in the brief mutiny.

Details of Zuppi’s itinerary weren’t immediately clear. When he visited Kyiv earlier this month, he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In Moscow, one likely visit would be paid to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader Patriarch Kirill has strongly supported the war.

The Vatican has said Zuppi is hoping to find “paths of peace” in his shuttle missions.

On the Moscow leg, Zuppi was accompanied by an official from the Vatican secretariat of state. His car was seen arriving at the Moscow embassy Tuesday evening, according to footage aired on Italian state-run RAI television, which said he was expected to have meetings with religious and possibly political figures in the coming days.

He is due to remain in Moscow until Thursday, which is the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul — an important day for both Catholic and Orthodox Christians.

“The principle aim of the initiative is to encourage gestures of humanity that can contribute to favor a solution to the tragic current situation and find paths to a just peace,” the Vatican statement said.

Zuppi, 67, is the archbishop of Bologna, president of the Italian bishops conference and a veteran of the Catholic Church’s peace mediation initiatives through his longtime affiliation with the Sant’Egidio Community. Through the Rome-based charity, Zuppi helped mediate the 1990s peace deals ending civil wars in Guatemala and Mozambique, and headed the commission negotiating a cease-fire in Burundi in 2000, according to Sant’Egidio.

A pastor in Francis’ style and considered “papabile” — having the qualities of a future pope — Zuppi was tapped by Francis in May.

The Argentine Jesuit pope has repeatedly expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people and called for peace, but he has refrained from calling out Russia or President Vladimir Putin by name.

The Vatican has a tradition of quiet diplomacy and not taking sides in conflicts, in hopes of helping forge peaceful outcomes.

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press