Pope: "Must Go to Moscow First, Need to Meet Putin First" (Comprehensive)

Plans to Meet President Putin Revealed
"No Intention to Visit Kyiv Yet"
May 9 Ceasefire Plan Also Reported

Pope Francis is leading the Sunday Angelus prayer on November 8, 2021 (local time), at the window of his office in the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. The Pope criticized the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, marking the first anniversary of the outbreak of the civil war, and called for dialogue to end the conflict. [Provided by Vatican Media] [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Pope Francis revealed that he had sought a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to resolve the Ukraine crisis. This is the first time since the outbreak of the Ukraine war on February 24 that it has been disclosed that the Pope attempted to meet with President Putin.

In an interview with an Italian local media outlet published on the 3rd (Korean time), the Pope stated, "Twenty days after Russia invaded Ukraine, I sent a message to President Putin through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, expressing my willingness to go to Moscow, but I have not yet received a response." He added, "I am concerned that Putin may not be able to accept this meeting immediately and may not want it at this time, but I will continue to insist on this meeting."

The Pope further emphasized, "I do not intend to go to Kyiv yet," and reiterated, "I must go to Moscow first. It is necessary to meet with Putin first."

It is known that the Pope has not even had a phone call with President Putin since the war began. The Pope also reaffirmed his intention not to meet with Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, as long as the Ukraine war continues. In the interview, the Pope said, "We had planned to meet him on June 14 in Jerusalem. It would have been our second meeting unrelated to the war, but now he agrees to suspend the meeting. This meeting could send ambiguous signals."

The Pope also shared details of his conversation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb?n, who visited the Vatican on the 21st of last month, saying, "Prime Minister Orb?n said that Russia plans to end everything on May 9, Victory Day. I hope so too," and emphasized, "I am pessimistic about this, but we must do everything we can to stop the war."

Prime Minister Orb?n is considered one of the most pro-Russian leaders among European Union (EU) leaders. Since the war, he has shown the most passive stance toward the EU's sanctions against Russia. He also proposed holding a Russia-Ukraine summit in Budapest, Hungary, to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.