Support The Moscow Times!

Pope Says Meeting With Russian Orthodox Patriarch Scrapped

Pope Francis. Christoph Wagener (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Pope Francis has announced that a meeting set for June with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, has been canceled so as not to sow "confusion."

The two men, who had a first, historic, meeting in Cuba in 2016, had been due for further talks in Jerusalem.

But Francis told Argentina's La Nacion newspaper the encounter was called off because "our diplomacy felt that a meeting at this time could lead to a lot of confusion" — an allusion to the Ukraine war.

The head of the Catholic Church insisted his ties with Kirill, who represents some 150 million faithful or half the world's Orthodox population, were "very good."

Their meeting in 2016 was the first between the leaders of the two biggest Christian denominations in nearly a thousand years.

Dialogue with the Orthodox Church, which separated from the Catholic Church in 1054, is a stated priority of Francis's pontificate.

But since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the two men have been on opposing sides.

The Pope last week called for peace and denounced a "cruel and senseless war."

Kirill has defended Putin's "military operation" and the fight against Russia's "external and internal enemies."

The two men held video talks on Ukraine in March and urged negotiations for a "just peace."

Yet shortly after the start of the war, Kirill called Moscow's opponents in Ukraine "evil forces."

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more