Vatican - Pope Francis had a meeting on Monday with Ivan Soltanovsky, the newly appointed Russian ambassador to the Holy See. During this encounter, Soltanovsky presented his credential letters to the pontiff. This meeting took place shortly after Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the papal envoy, visited Beijing to discuss initiatives aimed at bringing about peace in Ukraine amidst the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Soltanovsky described the atmosphere of the meeting as friendly and disclosed that the two individuals discussed the mission of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who serves as the papal special envoy to Ukraine and is working on resolving various humanitarian issues. Soltanovsky stated, 'We agreed to continue an honest and open dialogue with the Holy See, traditionally based on mutual respect,' as reported by Russia's official Tass News Agency.

While fulfilling his role as Pope Francis' peace envoy, Cardinal Zuppi has conducted numerous diplomatic visits worldwide in an effort to promote peace between Russia and Ukraine. These visits have included stops in Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington, D.C. It is important to note that the Vatican has clarified that Zuppi's mission does not have mediation as its immediate goal.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned on September 15 that 'the Vatican envoy [Zuppi] is going to come again,' and Moscow will 'welcome him.' However, the Vatican has not officially confirmed Zuppi's upcoming trip.

In a noteworthy gesture, Pope Francis had previously met with outgoing Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Avdeyev on February 25, 2022, the day after Russia initiated a full-scale invasion. The Vatican explained that the pope visited the Russian embassy 'to show his concern for the war.'

In September 2022, Pope Francis disclosed his involvement in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, which included contacting Avdeyev 'to see if something could be done, if an exchange of prisoners could be speeded up.'

While Pope Francis has consistently condemned the war and advocated for peace in Ukraine, his expressions have occasionally drawn criticism from Ukrainians. Most recently, in August, the Vatican clarified that the pope did not intend to glorify Russian imperialism during a spontaneous live video conference with Russian youth on August 25. In his speech, Pope Francis made references to 'Mother Russia' and praised 'the Great Russia of Peter I, Catherine II, that great enlightened empire.' President Vladimir Putin had previously likened himself to the 18th-century czar Peter the Great as a justification for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In response to these comments, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church expressed concern, hoping that the Holy Father's words were spoken without endorsing Russia's imperialist ambitions and historical evaluations.

The Vatican nunciature in Kyiv clarified that Pope Francis' words should be understood in the context of his firm opposition and criticism of any form of imperialism or colonialism in all circumstances and among all peoples.

It's important to note that Russia and the Holy See reestablished full diplomatic relations in 2010, following limited diplomatic ties since 1990.