Pope announces upcoming meeting with Patriarch Kirill
Pope Francis. Photo: Vera Shcherbakova / TASS
The meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ is under discussion and will soon take place. The head of the Vatican said this on Monday, December 6, during a traditional press conference on board a plane returning from Athens to Rome, reports TASS.
“A meeting with Patriarch Kirill is on the foreseeable horizon,” said the Pope, answering journalists' questions.
According to him, the head of the DECR MP Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) is to visit him next week "to agree on a possible meeting".
“I am always ready to go to Moscow. You don't need protocols to talk to your brother,” added the head of the RCC.
The statements of Pope Francis spread in the media were commented on by the head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. He said that on the 20th of December he really has a scheduled meeting with the Pope.
"My meeting with Pope Francis is planned between December 20 and December 30. I intend to wish him a happy 85th birthday on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and discuss a broad range of issues concerning the bilateral relations between our churches with him. Among these issues is a possible meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill. Neither the venue nor the date of this meeting is known thus far," Metropolitan Hilarion said in a commentary published on the Department for External Church Relations website.
As reported, the head of the UGCC expects Pope Francis' imminent visit to Ukraine.
Read also
In Spain, murderer moved to women's prison after claiming to be female
A Spaniard convicted of a series of brutal murders has secured a transfer to a women's prison allegedly based on a change of gender identity.
Georgian Patriarchate warns about fake social media pages
The Georgian Orthodox Church has stated that unknown individuals are using official symbols to create fake social media pages.
Court extends round-the-clock house arrest for Metropolitan Arseniy
The Chechelivsky Court of Dnipro left the abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra under house arrest and allowed him to attend medical procedures without separate permission.
OCU shows number of parishioners in seized church of Bezuhlivka
About 15 people with flags stood at the first "service" at St. Michael's Church after the seizure.
In Kyiv, OCU and UGCC сhaplains given an introductory tour of synagogue
Ukraine’s chief rabbi said that clergy of the OCU, UGCC, and RCC familiarized themselves with Jewish tradition at a synagogue.
OCU outraged that Lepliavo parish removed church property before seizure
The Cherkasy Eparchy of the OCU complained that after the fake “transfer” in Lepliavo, UOC faithful left them nothing but bare walls.