Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, commented on media reports regarding the possibility of a meeting between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis.

“On the twentieth of December, my meeting with Pope Francis is scheduled. I propose to congratulate him on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on his 85th birthday, and also to discuss with him a wide range of issues concerning bilateral relations between our Churches. further meeting of Pope Francis with Patriarch Kirill Neither the place nor the date of this meeting has yet been determined.

Regarding the visit of Patriarch Kirill to Finland, I can tell you the following. A few years ago, the Patriarch received an invitation from the head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the Orthodox Archbishop of Finland and the Catholic Bishop of Helsinki. However, since then “a lot of water has flowed under the bridge”, the inter-Orthodox situation has changed, and a pandemic has begun. The preparations for this visit are currently on hold.

Regarding the Pope’s visit to Moscow, I can say that this issue was not discussed at the bilateral level, “the hierarch noted.