The Vatican has not officially commented on the Russian journalists’ statements. According to TASS, the priest allegedly wanted to meet the head of the Russian Orthodox Church on his way to Mongolia.
Pope Francis allegedly offered to meet with Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) Patriarch Kirill at one of Moscow’s airports when his plane was due to refuel on its way to or from Mongolia. This was reported on July 23 by the Russian news agency “TASS”, with reference to Leonid Sevastyanov, head of the World Union of Old Believers.
Sevastyanov claims to have had a personal meeting with the priest on Sunday, July 23. He noted that the airport is seen as a transit zone that is considered neutral and that such a meeting will not cause opposition from those who oppose the Pope’s visit to Russia.
According to Sevastyanov, possible dates for such a meeting would be August 31, when the Pope leaves for Mongolia, or September 4, when he returns. However, the Russian Orthodox Church has not yet commented on the meeting proposal.
The reaction of the Vatican and the PRC
It is worth noting that at the time of publication of the material, the Vatican press service did not comment on the information in the Russian media. In addition, the PRC did not make any relevant statements.
Recall that in May 2023, the Pope made a similar proposal. Later, the pope said the Vatican was participating in a “secret peacekeeping mission” in Ukraine.
We also remember that in October 2022, Pope Francis offered to the Presidents of Ukraine and Russia Vladimir Zelensky and Vladimir Putin to discuss the end of the war in the Vatican.
Source: Focus
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