of Pope Francis Antonio de Volokolamsk, head of worldwide relations of the Moscow Orthodox Patriarchate, hosted this Friday within the Vatican. It’s concerning the information of the “chancellor” of the Church subsequent to the president Vladimir Putin commanded by him Patriarch Kirill (or Cyril), with whom the pope might meet subsequent month.
Kirill has passionately defended the Russian battle and bloodbath has fallen in Ukraine. In flip, Francisco has been questioned about avoiding naming the Kremlin chief in reference to that battle.
The Pope and the metropolitan met just a little greater than a month of the journey Jorge Bergoglio plans to make to Kazakhstan from September 13 to 15 to attend an interfaith assembly the place he might meet Cyril.
Nevertheless, a bilateral settlement between the highest Catholic official and the highest Orthodox chief has but to be confirmed by the Vatican.
“I hope to have the ability to greet him and discuss just a little with him as a pastor,” the pope stated in a chat he gave to Jesuits in June.
The Pope, this Friday, with Bishop Antony of Volokolamsk, envoy of the Russian Orthodox Patriarch. Photograph: REUTERS
Touring to Ukraine?
Whereas the Vatican is engaged on a potential lightning journey for the Pope to Kiev, probably as early as this August, the potential assembly with Cyril on September 14 in Nur-Sultan is seen as a method to facilitate or pave the way in which for the following massive mission Francis has in thoughts: assembly Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Due to Cyril’s pro-war stances, on the head of a church with 200 million believers, the pope even requested him to not turn out to be an “altar boy for Putin” throughout a video convention they held in March, because the pope later acknowledged.
In February 2016, the Pope and Cyril they met in Havana in what was the primary rapprochement in virtually 1,000 years between the very best Christian and Catholic authorities for the reason that schism of 1054.
A second assembly was deliberate for June in Jerusalem, however they lastly determined to droop it by mutual settlement due to the battle, the Pope introduced.
Francisco’s assembly with Kirill, in February 2016 in Havana, Cuba. Photograph: AP
To Kazakhstan
Francis will journey to Kazakhstan subsequent month to take part within the seventh version of a gathering of non secular leaders organized by the Nur-Sultan authorities.
Pending affirmation of a gathering with Cyril, for now the Pope’s tentative agenda to which Télam agreed, a “non-public assembly with some spiritual leaders” seems on Wednesday the 14th.
Relating to this Friday’s assembly within the Vatican, the Division of International Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate has printed a press release indicating that the assembly was held “on the invitation of Pope Francis.” He added that after a “lengthy dialog” they exchanged items.
Antony of Volokolamsk, 37, Kirill’s former private secretary, changed Metropolitan Hilarion, the Patriarchate’s head of overseas affairs till then, in June.
This spiritual, who from the start of the battle stored a straightforward distance from the radicalized pro-conflict positions that Cyril displayed, continued to function the administrator of the Hungarian Orthodox diocese of Budapest, amid the rapprochement of the prime minister of the time. nation, Victor Orbánin Russian positions.
In the meantime, Anthony of Volokolamsk is a spiritual from most confidence of Cyril, to the purpose that on the age of 24 he was appointed his non-public secretary, Vatican sources recall.
Hours earlier than the assembly with the Pope, the Orthodox chief met together with his Vatican counterpart, Paul Richard Gallagher.
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