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Russian Orthodox Church leader agrees to meet Pope Francis
Patriarch Kirill had previously declined a meeting with the Pope
The two leaders are expected to meet in Kazakhstan in September
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has agreed to meet with Pope Francis in September, the Vatican announced on Tuesday.
The meeting is expected to take place in Kazakhstan, where Pope Francis is scheduled to participate in an interfaith summit. It will be the first meeting between the two religious leaders since the Russian Orthodox Church broke off relations with the Vatican in 2018.
The break in relations was due to the Vatican's support for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which the Russian Orthodox Church considers to be schismatic.
In recent months, there have been signs of a thaw in relations between the two churches. In March, Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill exchanged letters, and in May, the Vatican announced that the two leaders had agreed to meet.
The meeting is seen as a significant step towards improving relations between the two churches. It is also seen as a sign of hope for peace in Ukraine, where the Russian Orthodox Church has been accused of supporting the Russian government's actions.
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