The Russian Orthodox Church rebuked Pope Francis on Wednesday for using the wrong tone after he urged Patriarch Kirill not to become the Kremlin’s altar boy, warning the Vatican that such comments would harm the dialogue between the Churches .
Francis told Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera that Kirill, who has expressed support for the war in Ukraine, “cannot become the altar boy of the [presidente Vladimir] Putin”.
The Russian Orthodox Church said it was unfortunate that a month and a half after Francis and Kirill, the patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, spoke directly, the pope adopted such a tone.
“Pope Francis has chosen an incorrect tone to convey the content of this conversation,” the Moscow Patriarchate said, although it did not explicitly mention the “altaro” comment.
“Such statements must not contribute to the establishment of a constructive dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches, which is especially needed at the moment.”
Kirill, 75, a close ally of Putin, sees the war as a bulwark against a West he considers decadent, particularly because of its acceptance of homosexuality.
Francis, 85, has called for a meeting in Moscow with Putin on Ukraine, but the Kremlin said on Wednesday there was no agreement on that.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
