Transcript reveals Kremlin belief in Francis’ sympathy

Noting Francis’ Argentinian background, Putin remarked that he had ‘cultivated relations with Russia in the most benevolent manner’.

A document published last week by the office of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin revealed the Kremlin’s positive attitude towards Pope Francis, and the growing role of some Orthodox leaders in geopolitics.

The transcript of a meeting between President Putin, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and a delegation from the Serbian Orthodox Church disclosed Putin’s belief that Francis had striven to “revive spiritual foundations” in Western society and confront a broader moral decay which the patriarch linked to the “works of the devil”.

When discussion turned to political themes, Kirill reported that Pope Francis had faced pressure to break relations with Moscow, and Putin adding that the Pope was nevertheless “well-disposed towards Russia”.

Patriarch Kirill described Pope Francis as “a man of fairly firm views and convictions, despite being subjected to considerable pressure – including regarding the cooling of relations with the Russian Church”.

He told Putin: “Now that he is in heaven, I may confidently quote him without seeking his permission.  When he was severely cornered – forgive the blunt expression – he uttered only a brief phrase: ‘Do not set me at odds with Kirill.’”

Noting Francis’ Argentinian background, Putin remarked that he had “cultivated relations with Russia in the most benevolent manner”.

The transcript recorded Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia describing anti-government protests – prompted by the collapse of a railway station canopy that killed 16 people in November – as a “colour revolution”, a term used to describe Western-backed attempts to overthrow governments, echoing the language of Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić. 

His comments drew severe criticism in Serbia and across the Balkans.  Montenegro’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Porfirije’s comments, reaffirming its Euro-Atlantic commitment.  

At the Moscow meeting, Porfirije suggested the Serbian Church’s operations across much of the Balkans depended on Russian foreign policy, and provided a vehicle for drawing the region into the “Russian world”.

“Our position concerning Kosovo, the Republika Srpska, and Montenegro I believe and sense that it also depends on the stance of the Russian state,” the Serbian patriarch said.

He added: “The desire of myself and the majority within our Church is that, in the future, should there be a new geopolitical demarcation, these lands would remain closely within this Russian milieu.”

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