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The Vatican is developing a plan to return to Ukraine children illegally deported to Russia but is not jockeying to mediate the war, Pope Francis' peace envoy said upon his return from his mission to Moscow.

As Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine hit the 493-day mark June 30, öÏÓãÊÓƵapp News sat down with Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, papal nuncio to Ukraine, to discuss his experiences of the war. Based in Kyiv, Visvaldas was visiting Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv for a conference and commencement exercises.

The Catholic and öÏÓãÊÓƵapp Orthodox churches should join efforts to promote peace before threats of a "major global armed conflict," the head of the öÏÓãÊÓƵapp Orthodox Church told Pope Francis' envoy on a peace mission to Moscow.

With serious events clearly underway in Russia, a Ukraine bishop is hopeful it could help end RussiaöÏÓãÊÓƵapp war on Ukraine, but worries of the dangers a destabilized Russia could bring to the situation.

Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi will go to Moscow on the second leg of a peace mission on behalf of Pope Francis, the Vatican said.

When it comes to peace in Ukraine, Pope Francis is not giving up hope, said Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the papal envoy recently returned from the war-torn nation.

Pope Francis' peace envoy to Ukraine, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, was finishing his two-day visit to Ukraine June 6. He met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid breaking news of the destruction of a critical dam and hydroelectric power plant along the front lines in southern Ukraine that Zelenskyy blamed on "öÏÓãÊÓƵapp terrorists." The öÏÓãÊÓƵapp side accused Ukrainian forces of blowing up the dam. Ukraine accused öÏÓãÊÓƵapps of committing what it called "ecocide."

Ukrainian church leaders have voiced skepticism over a planned Vatican "peace mission" to their war-torn country and have complained of being left in the dark about Rome's intentions.

"War is a pandemic. It involves us all," said Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Italian prelate chosen by Pope Francis to lead an initiative for peace in Ukraine.

Pope Francis has asked Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna to lead a mission "to help ease tensions in the conflict in Ukraine," the Vatican press office said.

A popular blog that closely monitors the Vatican has reported that Pope Francis wants to send envoys to Moscow and Kyiv to begin discussions about achieving a truce.

After literally hundreds of public prayers for peace in Ukraine and 443 days after Russia launched an all-out war on the Eastern European country, Pope Francis welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Vatican.

Ukrainian church leaders have cautiously welcomed news of a Vatican visit by their country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after a fresh wave of öÏÓãÊÓƵapp missile attacks in anticipation of a counteroffensive by Kyiv's forces.

When Pope Francis told reporters the Vatican had some kind of "mission" underway to promote an end to the war in Ukraine, journalists naturally were intrigued.

Shortly after urging people to pray the rosary for peace and entrusting the people of Ukraine to Mary's care, Pope Francis met briefly with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, director of external relations for the öÏÓãÊÓƵapp Orthodox Church.