He doesn't see any point in going to Kyiv yet.
He stated this in an interview with the Italian edition Corriere Della Sera, reports "European Truth".
"On the first day of the war, I had a call with President of Ukraine Zelensky. But I didn't call Putin. I heard it in December on my birthday, but this time I didn't call. I wanted to make a clear gesture and to do that I went to the Russian ambassador. I asked them to explain, and I said, "Please stop." Then I asked Cardinal Parolin, after twenty days of the war, to convey a message to Putin that I was ready to go to Moscow," the Pope said.
As Francis admitted, he is still waiting for Putin's response and suggests that "he does not want a meeting this time."
The Pope also said that he does not plan a visit to Ukraine yet.
"I am not going to Kyiv yet. I sent Cardinal Michael Cerny and Cardinal Conrad Krajewski, who went there for the fourth time. But I feel like I don't have to go. First I have to go to Moscow, first I have to meet with Putin. But I'm also a priest, what can I do? I'm doing what I can," the Pope said.
Pope Francis expressed concern that Putin is not going to stop. According to him, he is trying to understand the sources of Putin's behavior and the motives that push him to such a brutal war. According to the Pope, "perhaps the barking of NATO at Russia's door" prompted Putin to react badly and start a war.
The pope also said that he spoke with Patriarch Kirill for 40 minutes. "For the first twenty minutes, he told me all the excuses for the war. I listened and said, "I don't understand any of this. Brother, we are not members of the government, we cannot use the language of politics, but we have the language of Jesus," Francis said.
As RISU reported, Pope Francis canceled a meeting with Patriarch Kirill scheduled for June in Jerusalem.