{"id":3247398,"date":"2023-04-30T23:29:55","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T04:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nbcdfw.com\/news\/national-international\/pope-reveals-secret-peace-mission-help-for-ukraine-kids-taken-to-russia\/3247398\/"},"modified":"2023-04-30T23:36:23","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T04:36:23","slug":"pope-francis-reveals-secret-peace-mission-help-for-ukraine-kids-taken-to-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nbcdfw.com\/news\/national-international\/pope-francis-reveals-secret-peace-mission-help-for-ukraine-kids-taken-to-russia\/3247398\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Francis Reveals Secret Peace \u2018Mission,' Help for Ukraine Kids Taken to Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pope Francis<\/a> on Sunday revealed that a secret peace \u201cmission\u201d in Russia<\/a>‘s war in Ukraine was under way, though he gave no details, and said the Vatican is willing to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m available to do anything,\u201d Francis said during an airborne press conference en route home from Hungary. \u201cThere\u2019s a mission that\u2019s not public that\u2019s underway; when it\u2019s public I\u2019ll talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis gave no details when asked whether he spoke about peace initiatives during his talks in Budapest this weekend with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban or the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deportations of Ukrainian children have been a concern since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Francis said the Holy See had already helped mediate some prisoner exchanges and would do \u201call that is humanly possible\u201d to reunite families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll human gestures help. Gestures of cruelty don\u2019t help,\u201d Francis said.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPope Francis<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPope Francis to Visit Hungary Amid Diverging Views on War, Migrants\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPope Francis<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPope at Easter: Pray for Ukrainian, Russian People, Refugees\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The International Criminal Court in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia\u2019s children\u2019s commissioner, accusing them of war crimes for abducting children from Ukraine. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Francis at the Vatican and asked him to help return Ukrainian children taken following the Russian invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI asked His Holiness to help us return home Ukrainians, Ukrainian children who are detained, arrested, and criminally deported to Russia,\u2033 Shmyhal told the Foreign Press Association after the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis recalled that the Holy See had facilitated some prisoner exchanges, working through embassies, and was open to Ukraine\u2019s request to reunite Ukrainian children with their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prisoner exchanges \u201cwent well. I think it could go well also for this. It\u2019s important,\u201d he said of the family reunifications. \u201cThe Holy See is available to do it because it\u2019s the right thing,\u201d he added. \u201cWe have to do all that is humanly possible.\u201d ___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP\u2019s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pope Francis says a secret peace \u201cmission\u201d in Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine is under way, though he gave no details, and that the Vatican is willing to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3230,"featured_media":3131463,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"syndicated_id":"1:1:8143759","should_nationalize":false,"nbc_subtitle":"\u201cI\u2019m available to do anything,\u201d Francis said during an airborne press conference en route home from Hungary.","nbc_first_published_date":"","nbc_prevent_modified_update":false,"nbc_linkout_title":"","nbc_linkout_url":"","nbc_linkout_excerpt_link":"","nbc_primary_category_id":190,"nbc_primary_tag_id":692384,"nbc_alexa_brief":"","nbc_social_page_title":"Pope Reveals Secret Peace 'Mission,' Help for Ukraine Kids Taken to Russia During the War","nbc_page_title":"Pope Reveals Secret Peace 'Mission,' Help for Ukraine Kids Taken to Russia","nbc_seo_description":"Pope Francis on Sunday revealed that a secret peace \u201cmission\u201d in Russia's war in Ukraine was under way, though he gave no details, and said the Vatican is willing to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war.","nbc_social_description":"","nbc_national_headline":"","entities":"","lede_video_id":"","lead_embed_url":"","featured_media_caption":"","nbc_canonical_market":"7","nbc_canonical_url":"","nbc_hide_from_recirculation":"","nbc_hide_from_search":"","dark_mode":"","title_below":"","disable_copyright":"","copyright_override":"","nbc_syndication_category":"1:1:190","nbc_national_collections":[],"nopreroll":false,"ninja_forms_form":"","sst_source_id":"","nbc_disable_legacy_embeds":false,"nbc_legacy_processEmbedsFirst":"","cnbc_logo":"","cnbc_linkout":"","nbc_feed_loader_prevent_updates":"1","post_video_prompt":"","should_automatic_app_promotion":"1","should_automatic_app_ad":"1","nbc_checkout_experience_enabled":false,"should_linkout_to_syndication_parent":"","cnbc_data_hash":"","sponsor_image":0,"sponsor_url":"","rsn_disable_insider":false,"nbc_updated_post_date":"","feed_remote_id":"ap_de15b149389f387aa64ee0923748a905","feed_thumbnail_url":""},"categories":[1166],"tags":[98346,692384],"nbc_push_tag":[],"sensitivity":[],"collection":[],"source":"AP - Associated Press","prepublish_checks":{"nbc\/require-category":{"status":"complete","message":"Article has categories.","data":null},"nbc\/require-tag":{"status":"complete","message":"Article has tags.","data":null},"nbc\/validate-lead-embed":{"status":"complete","message":"Lead Embed empty.","data":null},"nbc\/published-lead-video":{"status":"complete","message":"Article does not have lead video.","data":null},"nbc\/page-slug":{"status":"complete","message":"Post is not a page.","data":null}},"apple_news_notices":[],"network_object_id":"1:8:3247398","post_brand":"NBC","rights":{"1:1":0,"1:2":0,"1:3":0,"1:4":0,"1:5":0,"1:6":0,"1:7":0,"1:8":1,"1:9":0,"1:10":0,"1:11":0,"1:12":0,"1:13":0,"1:14":0,"1:15":0,"1:16":0,"1:17":0,"1:18":0,"1:19":0,"1:20":0,"1:21":0,"1:22":0,"1:23":0,"1:24":0,"1:25":0,"1:26":0,"1:27":0,"1:28":0,"1:29":0,"1:30":0,"1:31":0,"1:32":0,"1:33":0,"1:34":0,"1:35":0,"1:36":0,"1:37":0,"1:38":0,"1:41":0,"1:42":0,"1:43":0,"1:44":0,"1:45":0,"1:46":0,"1:47":0,"1:48":0,"1:49":0,"1:50":0,"1:51":0},"syndication_rights":{"1:1":0,"1:2":0,"1:3":0,"1:4":0,"1:5":0,"1:6":0,"1:7":0,"1:8":1,"1:9":0,"1:10":0,"1:11":0,"1:12":0,"1:13":0,"1:14":0,"1:15":0,"1:16":0,"1:17":0,"1:18":0,"1:19":0,"1:20":0,"1:21":0,"1:22":0,"1:23":0,"1:24":0,"1:25":0,"1:26":0,"1:27":0,"1:28":0,"1:29":0,"1:30":0,"1:31":0,"1:32":0,"1:33":0,"1:34":0,"1:35":0,"1:36":0,"1:37":0,"1:38":0,"1:41":0,"1:42":0,"1:43":0,"1:44":0,"1:45":0,"1:46":0,"1:47":0,"1:48":0,"1:49":0,"1:50":0,"1:51":0},"syndication":{"nationalized":true,"syndicated":true,"syndicated_out":false,"linked":true,"id":"1:1:8143759","site_id":"1:1"},"content_blocks":[{"blockName":"nbc\/subtitle","attrs":[],"namespace":"nbc","rendered":""},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n

Pope Francis<\/a> on Sunday revealed that a secret peace \u201cmission\u201d in Russia<\/a>'s war in Ukraine was under way, though he gave no details, and said the Vatican is willing to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n

\u201cI\u2019m available to do anything,\u201d Francis said during an airborne press conference en route home from Hungary. \u201cThere\u2019s a mission that\u2019s not public that\u2019s underway; when it\u2019s public I\u2019ll talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n

Francis gave no details when asked whether he spoke about peace initiatives during his talks in Budapest this weekend with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban or the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n

Deportations of Ukrainian children have been a concern since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Francis said the Holy See had already helped mediate some prisoner exchanges and would do \u201call that is humanly possible\u201d to reunite families.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n

\u201cAll human gestures help. Gestures of cruelty don\u2019t help,\u201d Francis said.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"nbc\/recirculation-module","attrs":{"selectedPosts":["1:1:8132891","1:1:8077393"]},"namespace":"nbc","rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPope Francis to Visit Hungary Amid Diverging Views on War, Migrants\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPope Francis<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPope at Easter: Pray for Ukrainian, Russian People, Refugees\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n

The International Criminal Court in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia\u2019s children\u2019s commissioner, accusing them of war crimes for abducting children from Ukraine. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n

Last week Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Francis at the Vatican and asked him to help return Ukrainian children taken following the Russian invasion.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n

\u201cI asked His Holiness to help us return home Ukrainians, Ukrainian children who are detained, arrested, and criminally deported to Russia,\u2033 Shmyhal told the Foreign Press Association after the audience.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n

Francis recalled that the Holy See had facilitated some prisoner exchanges, working through embassies, and was open to Ukraine\u2019s request to reunite Ukrainian children with their families.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n

The prisoner exchanges \u201cwent well. I think it could go well also for this. It\u2019s important,\u201d he said of the family reunifications. \u201cThe Holy See is available to do it because it\u2019s the right thing,\u201d he added. \u201cWe have to do all that is humanly possible.\u201d ___<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP\u2019s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.<\/p>\n"}],"nbc_attributes":{"size":"S"},"bylines":[{"description":"","display_name":"Nicole Winfield","id":"","url":"","twitter":"","twitter_url":"","thumbnail":{}}],"canonical_url":"https:\/\/www.nbcconnecticut.com\/news\/national-international\/pope-francis-reveals-secret-peace-mission-help-for-ukraine-kids-taken-to-russia\/3023411\/","eyebrow":{"link":"https:\/\/www.nbcdfw.com\/tag\/ukraine-russia-war\/","label":"Ukraine-Russia War","sponsored":false},"object_sensitivity":"","sponsor":{"id":"","type":"","dart_url":"","dart_pixel":"","link_out_name":"","link_out_url":"","name":"","sponsor_id":"","sponsor_ad_id":"","to_homepage":false,"sponsor_expiration":"","expired":false},"object_date":"