Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Bishops' Conference, has again been appointed as a papal envoy to Russia.
Pope Leo XIV appointed Zuppi to lead a Vatican delegation to Russia from Sept. 28–30 to advocate for the release of Ukrainian prisoners amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.
According to Vatican News, this will be Zuppi's third visit to Russia on behalf of the pope to advance the Vatican's humanitarian peace efforts. Pope Francis appointed him as peace envoy in 2023 and 2024.
The Holy See's plea for Ukrainian victims of the war
Zuppi explained that his visit to Russia on behalf of the Holy See aims to support efforts regarding prisoners of war and children separated from their families. He also said his mission reflects the concern of Pope Francis and now Pope Leo for those affected by the conflict.
"All of this is part of the humanitarian mission entrusted to me initially by Pope Francis and subsequently confirmed by Pope Leo XIV," the cardinal said to the Russian news agency Tass. "We are assessing all the requests coming from both the Ukrainian and Russian sides, within the framework of the dialogue already initiated."
"We wish to develop this dialogue further, aware of the suffering caused by the war, and we seek to contribute to bringing it to an end," he added.
Recent Vatican efforts for peace in Ukraine
Zuppi's recent trip to Russia follows that of Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states and international organizations. Gallagher visited the country from Aug. 25–28 to meet with senior Russian officials to discuss a peaceful resolution to the war.
Zuppi also visited Ukraine in July 2025, during which he visited the Russian prisoners of war held there.
