The Cardinal Juppi Pope Francis sent to mediate between the Russians and the Ukrainians. But what is its exact function? “It is not really a question of mediation, but a task of listening. Cardinal Zuppi met with civil society in Kyiv two weeks ago […] He is scheduled to visit Moscow, the date has not yet been made public.“
The senior official has experience in peace processes as he was significantly involved in the negotiations for Mozambique in the 1990s.He has extraordinary skills as a mediator. He is empathetic and humorous, but also has a quick political insight”, explains John de Wolter.
What is the added value of religions in this kind of situation? “The Catholic Church has matured, especially in the last century. It supports peace and the voice of negotiation. There is a cultural and religious dimension to the conflict in Ukraine that we don’t necessarily see”, the theologian supports.
For some, if we don’t talk to the Russians, especially Putin, it’s the logic of war that we want to isolate the other party, argues John de Wolter. “Russia, which occupies a country, has an aggressor […] ‘Where are the exits if we want to avoid an all-out war?’, there’s more dangerous gear like the destruction of the dam.”, according to John de Wolter.
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