VOA新闻杂志2023--Pope Welcomes Russia’s New Ambassador to Vatican

Pope Welcomes Russia’s New Ambassador to Vatican

Pope Francis has officially welcomed Russia's new ambassador to the Vatican.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church met with Ambassador Ivan Soltanovsky Monday in Vatican City as the diplomat¹ presented his official documents.

Soltanovsky is replacing Ambassador Alexander Avdeev. Avdeev met with Francis in February 2022 at Russia's Embassy in Rome, the day after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

Soltanovsky's visit came shortly after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the government was ready to meet again with the Catholic Church's Ukraine peace envoy², Cardinal³ Matteo Zuppi.

"The Vatican is continuing its efforts. The papal envoy will come back (to Russia) soon," Lavrov said last Friday. He was speaking to a group of diplomats⁴ and ambassadors during a discussion about Ukraine in Moscow.

Zuppi was appointed by Pope Francis in May. Since then, he has visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as well as Moscow, Washington D.C. and Beijing.

At first, Zuppi's efforts seemed centered on a program that seeks to reunite Ukrainian children taken to Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. However, the diplomat also discussed restarting grain exports from Ukraine's Black Sea ports during talks with Chinese officials in Beijing.

When he returned to Italy, Zuppi said his talks in Beijing resulted in an important sharing of ideas. He also expressed hope about Lavrov's comments about a second visit. During a trip to Moscow in June, Zuppi met with Russia's minister for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, and an adviser⁵ to President Vladimir Putin.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant in late March for Lvova-Belova and Putin. The court accused them of kidnapping children from Ukraine. Russian officials have denied organizing any forced adoptions⁷ during the war.

Zuppi spoke⁸ to the TV2000 broadcaster of the Italian bishops⁹ conference over the weekend. He said Lavrov's openness to a second meeting was "important because peace is made through dialogue and finding the possible and necessary spaces."

Francis has followed the Holy See's tradition of neutrality in conflicts by trying to keep open paths of negotiation¹⁰ with both Ukraine and Russia.

Words in This Story

envoy –n. someone sent to represent their government in another country

adoption⁶ – n. a legal process in which individuals officially become the parents of someone else's child

 

dialogue – n. a official discussion between countries or groups of people

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

3 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

4 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

6 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

7 adoptions   

n.采用，收养( adoption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Adoption agencies are always so open to alternative family adoptions. 领养中介机构永远都对领养家庭敞开。 来自电影对白
• The number of adoptions has grown in the past year. 去年，收养子女的数字增加了。 来自互联网

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

10 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。