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The foreign minister of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow visited the pope in the Vatican. The tone of the meeting was very cordial.
"I'm happy."
They are in Rome to commemorate the four years since the pope's encounter with Russian Patriarch, Kirill.
“Welcome, Brother Hilarion. It's nice to see you here.”
During their time together, they agreed for further collaboration to help war-wounded children in Syria.
After meeting behind closed doors, before leaving, the pope gave him a message for the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Many greetings to Patriarch Kirill.
Thank you, Your Holiness.
I hope to meet him soon.
Thank you, Your Holiness.
The pope and the Patriarch of Moscow have only met once. It was four years ago Feb. 12, 2016, on “neutral” territory in Havana, Cuba.
The pope wants to boost relations with the Russian Orthodox Church, which traditionally keeps its distance from the Catholic Church.
The situation is complex because Moscow has also broken relations with the ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, which nevertheless maintains a great friendship with Pope Francis.
