Pope Francis has told an Italian newspaper that he has offered to travel to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin to try to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, but that he hasn’t yet heard back.

Francis said he made the offer about three weeks into Russia’s invasion, via the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Popes for decades have sought to visit Moscow as part of the longstanding effort to heal relations with the Russian Orthodox Church, which split with Rome more than 1,000 years ago. But an invitation has never been forthcoming.

“Of course, it would be necessary for the leader of the Kremlin to make available some window of opportunity. But we still have not had a response and we are still pushing, even if I fear that Putin cannot and does not want to have this meeting at this moment,” Francis was quoted as saying by the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Francis recalled that he spoke in March with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, for 40 minutes by videoconference and for the first half “with paper in hand, he read all of the justifications for the war.

“I listened and told him: ‘I don’t understand any of this. Brother, we are not clerics of the state, we cannot use language of politics, but that of Jesus. ... For this we need to find the paths of peace, to stop the firing of arms.’”

Francis has given a handful of interviews of late to friendly media emphasizing his call for an end to the war and initiatives to provide humanitarian relief to Ukrainians. He has defended his decision to not call out Putin or Russia publicly, saying popes don’t do so. But he freely named Putin in his remarks to Corriere, and seemed to equate the carnage in Ukraine with the genocide in Rwanda a quarter-century ago.

“Such brutality, how can you not try to to stop it? Twenty-five years ago in Rwanda we saw the same thing,” he was quoted as saying.

topcatking:
Although it's never too late to intervene... but offering to travel to Moscow 3 weeks into the invasion (After so many have died and a lot has been destroyed) seems a little too late, to me.

When the drums of war were being beaten...this intervention might have meant something.

Travel to Ukraine and Moscow. Talk to Zel , talk to Put.

Righteousness2:
The Deception in these Endtimes is Flawless.
The Deception is bold and is sweeping and will sweep many people away.

If you will not be taken away by the Deception, you will not put your hope on any man.
You must put your Eyes on JESUS and JESUS alone.

ImmaculateJOE:
Since I was still a kid Catholic Church has been praying for Russia.

There's a special prayer for the People of Russia that is part of Our Block Rosary Crusade Prayer booklet that time.

Mooh247:




They want to kill Putin like they killed Abacha


.

Righteousness2:
The Deception in these Endtimes is Flawless.
The Deception is bold and is sweeping and will sweep many people away.

If you will not be taken away by the Deception, you will not put your hope on any man.
You must put your Eyes on JESUS and JESUS alone.

GreatAdvice:
I like the Pope, I really do. It's nice that the world has an icon that can broker peace amongst warring nations. But there is no talking amount of talks or prayers that can convince Putin to stop this madness. The only thing Putin Putin fears the most is NATO's military might.

Moreover, Putin has stage IV metastatic pancreatic cancer and just 3 months to live. A mad man on his way out, is going to take everyone down with him.

I will advise the Pope to avoid Russia like the plague if he doesn't want to get assassinated.

Righteousness2:
The Deception in these Endtimes is Flawless.
The Deception is bold and is sweeping and will sweep many people away.

If you will not be taken away by the Deception, you will not put your hope on any man.
You must put your Eyes on JESUS and JESUS alone.

Flier:
You need to see how much the world tried to stop this invasion,meeting upon meetings,call upon calls,I think Putin will never listen till he has enough in Ukraine