Pope greets Russian patriarch, criticized for 'naive' policy

Source: Associated Press

Pope greets Russian patriarch, criticized for ‘naive’ policy

By NICOLE WINFIELD and MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
May 25, 2022

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has sent a protocol greeting to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, assuring him of prayers on his patron’s feast day and stressing the value of human life and wisdom, as the Vatican insists on maintaining cordial relations amid the war in Ukraine.

The website of the Moscow Patriarchate published the brief greetings Francis sent Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill to mark Tuesday’s feast day for St. Cyril, a saint important to both Catholics and Orthodox Christians, especially in Slavic nations.

“These days I pray to our Heavenly Father that the Holy Spirit will renew and strengthen us in the gospel ministry, especially in our efforts to protect the value and dignity of every human life,” Francis wrote.

He also called for God’s “gift of wisdom.”

The moderate tone was evidence of the Vatican’s attempt to maintain relations with Kirill, a policy that has come under increasing criticism from the head of the Polish bishops conference. Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki returned from a visit to Ukraine this week and called for the Vatican to change its “naive and utopian” policy, saying it won’t work in the long run.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-pope-francis-moscow-patriarch-kirill-0a9d5eb8933e8351d312b50e208124eb