Pope Francis has said that a planned meeting with Russian Patriarch Kirill in Jerusalem in June has been called off, while stressing that relations with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church are "very good".
While the Argentine pontiff has called for Moscow to stop the war in Ukraine, Kirill has expressed support for the Russian invasion.
Francis told Argentine newspaper La Nacion that he was sorry that the Vatican had had to "suspend" the meeting.
"Our diplomatic service realised that an encounter between us two at the moment could create a lot of confusion," the pope said. Ukraine's ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, welcomed the move. "Logical decision of Holy Father to cancel June meeting with Russian patriarch," Yurash said via Twitter. "Kirill blessed killing 1000s of people. "Diplomacy of Vatican always demonstrates its ability to generate most appropriate decisions in any difficult circumstances. "This decision is obvious contribution in installing peace in Ukraine".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
