Orthodox set conditions for talks

A future meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill has not been ruled out by Russia’s Orthodox Church, which will first insist on steps to tackle inter-church tensions, writes Jonathan Luxmoore.

“The Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches are strategic partners in their witness to Christian moral values,” said Alexander Volkov, spokesman for the Moscow patriarchate. “Despite their close positions on many important issues, however, there are still difficulties [such as] the attitude of the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine.”

The deacon was responding to the Pope’s remarks last week on his return from Turkey that he hoped to meet and “go forward” with Patriarch Kirill.