Pope Francis received an audience at the Vatican Metropolitan Antonij of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Ecclesiastical Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate on 11 July, Thursday.
This was announced by the Holy See Press Office on 12 July, Friday. The Vatican has not provided further details about the meeting or released any photographs.
This is not the first time that the Orthodox representative has met with Pope Francis following his appointment in June 2022 as successor to Metropolitan Hilarion.
The two greeted each other for the first time in May 2023, after a General Audience in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
The meeting took place three days after the Holy Father revealed that a “mission” was underway to try to end the war in Ukraine.
On that occasion, the Orthodox Metropolitan presented the Holy Father with a Panaghia, the medallion with the Mother of God that Russian Orthodox Christians usually wear on their chests.
Antonij had travelled to Rome with the “blessing” of Moscow Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church who has justified Russia’s offensive against Ukraine.
He also met with Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches.
Yesterday’s meeting took place just two days after Pope Francis expressed his “great sorrow” over Russia’s attacks on two hospitals in Kyiv, Ukraine, including the country’s largest children’s medical centre.
The Holy Father expressed his closeness to the “innocent victims and wounded” and said he prayed “that concrete ways can soon be identified to put an end to the ongoing conflicts.”