The top of the Russian Orthodox Church has cancelled his deliberate attendance at an interfaith assembly in Kazakhstan subsequent month the place he was anticipated to satisfy with Pope Francis, a high Orthodox official mentioned.
The transfer is seen as an indication of additional deterioration in relations over Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.
Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, head of overseas relations for the Moscow Patriarchate, was quoted by the Ria Novosti information company as saying that Kirill wouldn't be attending the September 13-15 assembly and that due to this fact any assembly with Francis was off.
Kirill has justified the invasion of Ukraine on non secular and ideological grounds, calling it a “metaphysical” battle with the West.
He has blessed Russian troopers going into battle and invoked the concept that Russians and Ukrainians are one folks.
Francis had confirmed as just lately as final month that he would meet with Kirill on the Kazakh assembly in what would have been the second-ever encounter between a pope and a Russian patriarch.
The primary was in 2016 and their second had been deliberate for June however was postponed over the diplomatic fallout of the conflict.
Francis has denounced the conflict in Ukraine however has tried to maintain a door open to dialogue with Moscow, refraining from condemning Russia, President Vladimir Putin or Kirill by title.
His balanced strategy has angered Kyiv, which this week condemned his feedback lamenting that innocents on each side had been paying the value of conflict.
Francis made these feedback on Wednesday as he marked six months of conflict and referred to the weekend automotive bomb slaying in Moscow of Darya Dugina, a nationalist Russian TV commentator and daughter of the right-wing Russian political theorist, Alexander Dugin, who ardently helps the conflict.
Francis listed the “poor lady” killed by a automotive bomb in Moscow, in addition to orphans in Ukraine and Russia, among the many “innocents” who've been victimised by the “madness of conflict.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, mentioned Francis’ phrases had been “disappointing” by seemingly equating “aggressor & sufferer, rapist and raped”.
In a tweet on Wednesday, he requested the way it was potential for Francis to quote an “ideologist of imperialism as harmless sufferer?”