Pope Francis has said that he wants to meet with Russian Patriarch Kirill.
"I assume that it is the matter of geopolitics that representatives of the religious world are involved in. The Pope has long been an important player in this field. The Vatican is a state. Its diplomacy has been shaped over the years. We know how influential the Vatican and its head are," Lyudmila Fylypovych explained to the host of Hromadske Radio Yevhen Savateev.
I think the Pope and Patriarch Kirill will discuss the aggravation of relations between Russia and Europe and the United States, what Putin and Biden talked about. Religion returns to the secular field because leaders can't get along.
"The pontiff's long-standing dream is to visit Moscow. No Pope has ever visited it. It will be an event of universal scale and a historical rubicon. However, I assume that most likely, Russia will not allow the Pope to enter its territory. They are terribly worried that someone is encroaching on their canonical territory, trying their best to protect it," Lyudmila Fylypovych added.
According to her, if the pontiff appears in Russia, it will indicate that a special role and status will be given to the Catholic Church. Then it will not be in the last place after the Orthodox Church. After all, only the Russian Orthodox Church is tolerated there. All others do not use those stated in the Russian constitution and the law on religious freedom.
On equal terms, this meeting is possible on neutral territory," the religious scholar summed up.
As RISU has reported, Pope Francis is ready to come to Russia to meet with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all of Russia, and the parties will decide on the date this week. The pontiff said this to journalists on board the plane after a visit to Greece.