On September 18, 2023, Russian Ambassador to the Vatican Ivan Soltanovsky presented his credentials to Pope Francis and conveyed greetings from the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. This is reported by the Chrism Center.

“Pope Francis warmly recalled his meeting with Patriarch Kirill in Havana and expressed hope that it would not be the last and he would be able to see the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church again,” the ambassador said.

The first and so far the only meeting of the Patriarch with the Pope took place in 2016 in Havana. To date, this is the only meeting of such a high level in the history of the Russian Orthodox and Catholic Churches.