Pope Leo holds conversation with Putin
Pope Leo XIV. Photo: @Vatican Media
Pope Leo XIV held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a statement published on the official Kremlin website on the evening of June 4, 2025.
Putin once again congratulated the Pontiff on his election and wished him “success in fulfilling his high mission.”
Both parties acknowledged the significant personal contribution of Pope Francis in strengthening relations between Russia and the Vatican and agreed to continue efforts aimed at further developing these ties “based on shared spiritual and moral values, in the interest of building a more just world order.”
Pope Leo and President Putin agreed to cooperate in the cultural and humanitarian spheres, as well as in the protection of Christians and Christian holy sites in various regions of the world, particularly in the Middle East.
The Russian president conveyed well-wishes from Patriarch Kirill for the Pope’s pastoral ministry, to which the Pontiff responded by affirming the importance of continuing the “essential dialogue between the two sister churches.”
“In exchanging views on the situation in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his interest in achieving peace through political and diplomatic means, emphasizing that a final, just, and comprehensive resolution to the crisis requires addressing its root causes,” the Kremlin reported.
The conversation also touched on the resumption of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul, particularly regarding agreements on the exchange of prisoners of war, the repatriation of bodies, and the reunification of children with their relatives.
“In view of the well-known policy of the Kyiv authorities aimed at dismantling the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, hope was expressed that the Holy See will take a more active stance in defending freedom of religion in Ukraine,” the statement said.
According to kremlin.ru, “the conversation was constructive. Both sides expressed their intention to continue contacts.”
As the UOJ previously reported, Pope Leo had earlier called for support of “any initiative for dialogue and peace” in Ukraine.
Read also
DESS challenges court ruling overturning “expert review” against UOC
According to DESS, it has filed a cassation appeal against the court ruling that annulled the order approving the UOC “expert review” and declared the service head’s actions unlawful.
Greek priest: Sad to see Orthodox Christians fighting each other in Ukraine
Fr. Georgios Katsaounis recalled the historical ties between the Russian and Ukrainian peoples and criticized the Greek Prime Minister’s statement about a “war with Russia.”
Anglican Archbishop: Ban on women's priesthood in RCC is an injustice
After her visit to the pontiff, Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally touched on the topic of women's priesthood in the RCC in an interview and called the ban on it "an injustice."
Greek priest on Pope's visit to Phanar: faith must not be sold
Archpriest Georgios Katsaounis warned that in the modern ecumenical dialogue there are serious risks of diluting Orthodox dogmas.
Greek priest: The principle of papal supremacy in Catholicism is a disease
Archpriest Georgios Katsaounis stated that Western Christianity suffers from the principle of one person's supremacy, and called this a spiritual illness.
In Egypt, Coptic blogger sentenced to 5 years for videos about Christianity
A Coptic blogger was sentenced to five years in prison with hard labor under a blasphemy law for publishing a video about Christianity.