Pope Francis on Sunday disclosed that a covert peace “mission” to help abducted Ukrainian children is currently underway amid Kyiv’s war with Russia.
What Happened: The pope did not provide any specifics but said the Vatican is prepared to assist in facilitating the repatriation of Ukrainian children who were taken to Moscow during the conflict, reported Politico.
"I'm available to do anything," Francis said during an airborne press conference en route home from Hungary.
"There's a mission that's not public that's underway; when it's public, I'll talk about it."
Why It Matters: There has been a massive concern since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia last year surrounding the expulsion of Ukrainian children.
The pontiff said the Vatican has already played a role in mediating prisoner exchanges and is committed to "all that is humanly possible" to reunite families.
"All human gestures help. Gestures of cruelty don't help," Francis said.
In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) also issued an arrest warrant against President Vladimir Putin and Russia's children’s commissioner on charges of war crimes related to the alleged abduction of children from Ukraine.
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