Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis' peace envoy for Ukraine, has arrived in Moscow, where he is expected to meet with President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia Paolo Pezzi, the Archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow said on Wednesday.
"The hierarch arrived in Moscow on Tuesday evening and stayed at the apostolic nunciature. The visit's official program has been announced by neither Vatican nor Russia. Today, the cardinal will meet with archbishop Paolo Pezzi. At 7 p.m. [16:00 GMT], on June 28, on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the cardinal will take part in worship in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow," the archdiocese said on Telegram.
Earlier in the week, the Holy See said that the goal of Zuppi's visit would be to "encourage gestures of humanity, that may contribute to promoting a solution to the tragic current situation, and to find ways to reach a just peace." An informed source at the Holy See told RIA Novosti that Zuppi might meet with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia during his visit to Russia.
Zuppi paid a visit to Kiev from June 5-6. The Vatican described the trip as "short but intense." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the papal envoy that Ukraine would not consider peace plans other than the peace formula he outlined in November.