Pope Francis holds a news conference as he returns to the Vatican following his apostolic journey to Hungary, aboard the plane, April 30, 2023. (Vincenzo Pinto/Pool via REUTERS)

"There is a mission in course now but it is not yet public," the pope told reporters during a flight home after a three-day visit to Hungary. 

He added that he had spoken about the situation in Ukraine with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Budapest.

Pope Francis, 86, has said previously that he wants to visit Kyiv but also Moscow on a peace mission.