On the 14th - 16th of this month, His Eminence Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, envoy of the Holy Father, accompanied by an official of the Secretariat of State, paid a second visit to Moscow, in continuity with the mission entrusted to him by Pope Francis.

On that occasion, the Cardinal met with Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Yuri Ushakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation for Foreign Policy Affairs; Ms. Marija Lvova-Belova, Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights; and Ms. Tatiana Moskalkova, Presidential Commissioner for Human Rights.

The talks that took place made it possible to assess what has been done so far for the family reunification of minors and the exchange of prisoners, the injured, and the remains of the fallen.

During his stay, the Cardinal also met with Metropolitan Antonij of Volokolamsk, President of the Department for External Ecclesiastical Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, with whom he discussed various issues, particularly of a humanitarian nature.

As a whole, the visit also made it possible to examine a number of prospects for continuing humanitarian cooperation and opening paths to the much hoped-for peace.