The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, wanted the “success” of Pope Leo XIV newly elected in Thorsday, saying that he hoped that the US Pontiff participated in a “constructive dialogue” with the Kremlin.
“I am sure that the constructive dialogue and cooperation established between Russia and the Vatican will continue to develop on the basis of the Christian values that unite us,” Putin said in a message published by the Kremlin.
Robert Francis Prevost became the first Pope of the United States on Thors Day, choosing the name Papal Leo XIV after the cardinals around the world chose him leader of the 1,400 million Catholics in the world.
The new Pope now faces a transcendental task: in addition to affirming his moral voice in a global scenario devastated by the conflict, he must try to unite a divided church and address burning problems such as the continuous consequences of the sexual abuse scandal.
The Kremlin leader had with the predecessor of Pope Leo, Pope Francis, in person three times and the last one spoke with him on December 2021, just before Russia launched its large -scale invasion of Ucrine.
In 2016, Francis with the Russian Orthodox patriarch Kirill in Cuba, marking the first meeting between the bosses of the two churches. The historical encounter concluded with a joint statement of 10 pages, acclaimed at that time as a milestone in the relations between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox branches of Christianity.
Pope Francis had repeatedly asked peace in Ukraine, Althegh caused controversy last year after urging kyiv to “Lift the white flag and negotiate. ” Ukrainian officials reacted to those comments with fury, even while the Vatican insisted on the words “white flag” to mean a cessation of hostilities, not a surrender.
