Pope Francis Leo XIV has decided to restore relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. A meeting with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk is scheduled for Saturday, July 26. This will be the first meeting of Pope Leo with Anthony, who represented Patriarch Kirill at the funeral of Pope Francis.
According to Ansa, Pope Francis intends to restore dialogue with the ROC after the tensions caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See emphasized that Russia has long-term relations with the Vatican. Until this moment, despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine, dialogue between the Vatican and the ROC continued, but at a lower level.
It is important to note that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently met with Pope Leo XIV and discussed with him the issues of the war in Ukraine and ways to achieve peace.
Prayer and Remembrance of War in the Vatican
It should also be mentioned that Pope Francis Leo XIV, during an address on July 6, drew attention to the full-scale war initiated by Russia. He called for the immediate establishment of peace. A prayer in Ukrainian was also held in the Vatican, led by the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, in co-celebration with the Pope.
The Ukrainian religious sphere continues to remain in international focus due to the active participation of Ukrainian representatives in important events in the Vatican.