The head of the Catholic Church has offered to meet with Russia's Patriarch Kirill in Moscow during a scheduled visit to Mongolia later this year, according to Russian media, after the Ukraine war strained relations between the two religious leaders.
Pope Francis has proposed to meet with the Russian Orthodox Church leader during a refueling of the pontiff's flight at one of Moscow's major airports, according to comments made by Leonid Sevastianov, the head of the World Union of Old Believers, to the state-run Tass news agency.
The meeting could take place in a "neutral" location as the Pope travels to Mongolia for a scheduled visit, or as he returns in early September, Tass reported. But Patriarch Kirill has not yet responded, Sevastianov told the Kremlin-backed news agency.
Asked for comment on the report by Newsweek, a spokesperson for the Holy See said: "A meeting was planned for last year in June in Jerusalem. At the moment a new place and time have not been determined."
Newsweek has reached out to the Moscow Patriarchate for comment via email.
The Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine has damaged ties between Moscow and the Holy See. Patriarch Kirill has been a vocal supporter of the war, and is a high-profile ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But Pope Francis has appeared to condemn the invasion in several addresses since the war began in February 2022. In May 2022, the pope told the Italian newspaper, Corriere Della Sera, that Kirill "cannot become Putin's altar boy."
"Such statements are unlikely to contribute to the establishment of a constructive dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches, which is especially necessary at the present time," the Moscow Patriarchate shot back.
Back in 2016, Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill met in the Cuban capital, Havana, for the first meeting between the separate branches of Christianity in almost a millennium.
A proposal was floated for the two religious leaders to meet in Jerusalem in June 2022, but Pope Francis later put the plans on hold. A senior Russian Orthodox Church official said "the events of the last two months" had made it difficult to arrange, Russian state media, cited by Reuters, reported.
"The Pope proposes, in order not to put it off, to meet with Patriarch Kirill at one of the airports in Moscow, in Domodedovo or Vnukovo, when he flies to Mongolia. Then he will have to refuel at one of the airports in Moscow," Sevastianov said.
"The airport is considered a transit zone, neutral, this would not cause opposition from those who oppose the visit of the pontiff to Russia," Sevastianov said.
"If there is a response from the patriarch, then such a meeting could take place on August 31 on the way of the pope to Mongolia. Or on the way back on September 4," Sevastianov continued.
Kirill told a papal envoy in late June that the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church should work together to stave off "negative political developments and serve the cause of peace and justice."
"It is very important that in this difficult time Christian communities in the East and the West take part in this process of reconciliation," Kirill told envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, according to Reuters.
The meeting was "fruitful," the Vatican said, adding that Zuppi and Kirill had discussed "humanitarian initiatives that could facilitate a peaceful solution."
In his Christmas message, the pontiff alluded to the war in Ukraine by criticizing those who "hunger for wealth and power" and "consume even their neighbours." In a December interview with Spanish newspaper, ABC, he said that "what is happening in Ukraine is terrifying," adding: "There is enormous cruelty. It is very serious."
Speaking at Easter this year, the pope then prayed for God to "help the beloved Ukrainian people on their journey towards peace, and shed the light of Easter upon the people of Russia." In his Easter address in 2022, the pope said he hoped for "an end to the flexing of muscles while people are suffering."
In mid-September 2022, the Pope told the leaders of multiple faiths that God does not back war, during a conference in Kazakhstan Kirill was expected to attend before pulling out.
"God is peace," Francis said. "He guides us always in the way of peace, never that of war."
Update 7/24/23, 6:18 a.m. ET: This article was updated to note that Newsweek asked the Moscow Patriarchate for comment.
