Two sources told Reuters on Monday that the Vatican is considering extending Pope Francis’ trip to Lebanon in June so that he can fly to Jerusalem to see Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has backed Russia’s war in Ukraine.
It would be their second encounter. Their first meeting, in Cuba in 2016, was the first between a pope and a Russian Orthodox Church leader since the Great Schism in 1054, when Christianity was split into Eastern and Western branches.
Kirill, 75, has offered his entire support to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a stance that has fractured the international Orthodox Church and sparked an unprecedented internal rebellion, according to theologians and academics.
The idea, according to the sources, was for the 85-year-old Pope, who is scheduled to visit Lebanon on June 12-13, to fly to Amman, Jordan on June 14 morning.
According to the sources, he will then take a helicopter to Jerusalem the same day for the meeting with Kirill and then return to Rome.
The trip appeared to be almost certain, according to one insider, while another suggested it was a possibility.
When Pope Francis returned from his trip to Malta last week, he stated he planned to see Kirill this year someplace in the Middle East, although he didn’t specify where.
On Sunday, Kirill urged Russians to rally behind the authorities as Moscow continues a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.
The patriarch has already spoken out in support of Moscow’s efforts in Ukraine, seeing the conflict as a bulwark against a decadent liberal Western culture.
‘Let the Lord help us unify during this terrible moment for our Fatherland, particularly around the authorities,’ Kirill said during a sermon in Moscow, according to the Interfax news agency.
On February 24, Russia launched tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, ostensibly to weaken the military capabilities of its southern neighbour and to apprehend ‘dangerous nationalists.’
Pope has already dismissed that phrase, referring to the conflict as a war.
Since the start of the war, Pope Francis has only referenced Russia in prayer, such as on March 25 during a special worldwide event for peace. He has, however, made it clear that he opposes Russia’s actions, using terms like invasion, aggression, and massacres.
The pope called for an Easter truce in Ukraine on Sunday, and questioned the usefulness of putting a victory flag ‘on a mound of debris’ in an apparent allusion to Russia.
Kirill called on Russians to rally behind the rulers as Moscow continues to conduct a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.
The patriarch has already expressed his support for Moscow’s operations in Ukraine, seeing the conflict as a check on a decadent liberal Western culture.
According to the Interfax news agency, Kirill said during a sermon in Moscow, ‘Let the Lord help us unify during this awful moment for our Fatherland, particularly around the authorities.’
On February 24, Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, ostensibly to degrade its southern neighbor’s military capabilities and detain ‘dangerous nationalists.’
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