Pope Leo XIV wants to revive dialogue with Russian Orthodox Church - ANSA
Photo: Pope Leo XIV (Getty Images)
Pope Leo XIV is looking to rebuild relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. As part of this effort, he has a meeting scheduled with a Russian Metropolitan, ANSA reports.
According to the media outlet's sources, on Saturday, July 26, Pope Leo XIV will receive Metropolitan Antonij of Volokolamsk, President of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
This will be Leo's first audience with Antonij, who had represented Patriarch Kirill at Pope Francis's funeral.
ANSA's sources note that Pope Leo intends to reopen dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church after a period of tension sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Pope Leo's earlier statements on Russia
Pope Leo XIV had previously described Russia's war against Ukraine as "a true imperialist invasion."
Pope also emphasized that Russian troops are committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
At the same time, the pontiff expressed solidarity with the suffering people of Ukraine and stressed that Russia's war is senseless.
Furthermore, the Vatican has been considered as a potential venue for talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations. Pope Leo himself confirmed his readiness to host negotiations during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
