Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday praised the past due Pope Francis as a “defender” of humanism and justice and lauded his efforts to foster discussion between the Catholic and Orthodox church buildings.
“Pope Francis loved nice global appreciate as a faithful servant of Christian teachings, a sensible spiritual and state chief, in addition to a steadfast defender of the perfect beliefs of humanism and justice,” learn Putin’s remark, which the Kremlin revealed in a while after the Vatican introduced the Pope’s passing.
“All over his papacy, he actively promoted discussion between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church buildings, in addition to optimistic engagement between Russia and the Holy See,” the remark added.
“I had the distinction of assembly this exceptional guy on more than one events, and I will be able to at all times cherish the warmest reminiscences of him,” Putin wrote within the remark.
The Kremlin chief met with Pope Francis in particular person 3 times — in 2013, 2015 and 2019 — and final spoke with him via telephone in December 2021, simply weeks sooner than Russia introduced its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in line with Russian state media.
Pope Francis had many times referred to as for peace in Ukraine, even supposing he stirred controversy final 12 months after urging Kyiv to “elevate the white flag and negotiate.” Ukrainian officers reacted to these remarks with fury, even whilst the Vatican insisted the phrases “white flag” have been meant to imply a cessation of hostilities, now not a give up.
Russia’s Catholic Church introduced Monday afternoon that its church buildings around the nation would dangle prayer products and services for the past due Pope.
“Beginning as of late, in all our church buildings in Russia, there’ll, after all, be prayers for Pope Francis. We can keep in mind and pray right here, in the neighborhood,” Auxiliary Bishop of Mom of God at Moscow Nikolai Dubinin advised state media.
In 2016, Francis met Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Cuba, marking the first-ever assembly between the heads of the 2 church buildings. The historical come upon concluded with a joint 10-page declaration, hailed on the time as a milestone in members of the family between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox branches of Christianity.
AFP contributed reporting.
