Pope Francis stated that a second meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill originally planned to be held in Jerusalem in June has been canceled.
Speaking to the Argentinean newspaper, La Nacíon, the Pope said that his relationship with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church was “very good,” but that a possible meeting between the two now could lead to “much confusion.”
On a potential trip to Kyiv, he said that he could not put “greater objectives” at risk by visiting Ukraine's capital city, such as ending the war, and asked what sense there would be in the Pope going to Ukraine “if the war would resume the following day.”
On his return flight to Rome from Malta, Pope Francis told journalists that a papal trip to Kyiv was on the table, and he maintains that he is still willing to do anything to put the war in Ukraine to an end.
JM
