In an interview with an Italian newspaper, Pope Francis recalled a conversation with a powerful Russian bishop, accusing him of being “Putin’s altar.”
In a recent exclusive interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, Francis discussed his efforts to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before mentioning a conversation he had with Patriarch Kirill, also known as Vladimir Gundyaev, head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
“I talked to Cyril for 40 minutes at Zoom,” Francis said. “For the first 20 minutes, he read from a piece of paper he held in his hand all the reasons that justified the Russian invasion. I listened to him and then replied, ‘I don’t understand any of this.’
Francis, who spoke out against the war between Russia and Ukraine on February 24, unequivocally criticized Putin and complained about what he called the “dark shadows of war.”
Pope Francis shot at a powerful Russian bishop in a recent interview, telling him he could not be “Putin’s altar.” In this photo, Pope Francis blesses those present when he arrives on April 20, 2022 for the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. ALBERTO PICZOLI / AFP via Getty Images
During the video conversation with Cyril, the Pope continued to say: “Brother, we are not state clergy, we should not speak the language of politics, but rather the language of Jesus. We are shepherds of the same holy flock of God. For this reason, we must find a way to peace, we must stop fighting. A patriarch cannot come down to become Putin’s altar. “
The head of the Roman Catholic Church added: “I had a meeting with him, scheduled for June 14, in Jerusalem. This would be our second face to face, it has nothing to do with the war. But we canceled it, we agreed it could send the wrong message. “
In the interview, Francis added that he had been invited to Ukraine several times, but said: “I’m not ready to travel to Kyiv, not yet.”
He added: “I have sent my envoy, Cardinal Michael Czerny (Head of the Department for the Promotion of Human Development) and Cardinal Konrad Krajewski (Trustee of the Pope). The latter has just visited Kyiv for the fourth time. But I feel like I shouldn’t go there. Not yet.”
“I have to go to Moscow first,” Francis continued. “First I want to meet with Putin. But in the end I am just a priest, what can I achieve? I will do what I can.”
Ukraine sought the Pope’s guidance before the invasion began. On February 14, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See, Andriy Yurash, told Reuters that Ukraine was open to Vatican mediation as tensions between Russia on the border escalated.
I suffer and cry, thinking of the suffering of the Ukrainian people, and in particular of the weakest, the elderly and children.
– Pope Francis (@Pontifex) May 1, 2022
Newsweek asked the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
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