The White House released a brief statement Tuesday after President Joseph Biden met with Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, who was visiting Washington as part of a three-day mission to promote peace between Ukraine and Russia.

“President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Episcopal Conference. President Biden shared his wishes for Pope Francis’s continued ministry and global leadership and welcomed the recent nomination of a U.S. archbishop as cardinal. They also discussed the Holy See’s efforts to provide humanitarian aid to address the widespread suffering caused by Russia’s continuing aggression in Ukraine, as well as the Vatican’s advocacy for the return of forcibly deported Ukrainian children,” the statement read.