Pope Francis’ peace envoy is heading to Moscow after the short-lived Wagner rebellion

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis’ peace envoy is heading to Moscow on Wednesday in hopes of helping find “a solution to the tragic current situation” of the war in Ukraine, the Vatican said Tuesday.

The two-day mission by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, a veteran of the Catholic Church’s peace initiatives, comes as the Kremlin is reeling from the weekend armed rebellion led by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Russia has since dropped charges against Prigozhin and others who took part in the brief rebellion.

It follows Zuppi’s visit to Kyiv earlier this month, which the Vatican described as an initiative to try to find paths of peace.

On the Moscow leg, Zuppi will be accompanied by an official from the Vatican secretariat of state, according to a statement from the Holy See press office. He is due to be remain until Thursday, which is the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul — an important day for both Catholic and Orthodox Christians.

“The principle aim of the initiative is to encourage gestures of humanity that can contribute to favor a solution to the tragic current situation and find paths to a just peace,” the statement said.

Zuppi, 67, is the archbishop of Bologna, president of the Italian bishops conference and a veteran of the Catholic Church’s peace mediation initiatives through his longtime affiliation with the Sant’Egidio Community. Through the Rome-based charity, Zuppi helped mediate the 1990s peace deals ending civil wars in Guatemala and Mozambique, and headed the commission negotiating a cease-fire in Burundi in 2000, according to Sant’Egidio.

A pastor in Francis’ style and considered “papabile” — having the qualities of a future pope — Zuppi was tapped by Francis in May.

The Argentine Jesuit pope has repeatedly expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people and called for peace, but he has refrained from calling out Russia or President Vladimir Putin by name.

The Vatican has a tradition of quiet diplomacy and not taking sides in conflicts, in hopes of helping forge peaceful outcomes.