Putin hails Pope Francis as ‘defender’ of ‘humanism and justice’

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday hailed the late Pope Francis as a “defender” of “humanism and justice”, and praised his efforts to promote dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches.

Putin said Francis, who died on Monday, was a “wise” religious leader, “statesman” and “consistent defender of the high values of humanism and justice”, in a letter to the Vatican published by the Kremlin.

“During all the years of his pontificate, he actively promoted dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, as well as constructive interaction between Russia and the Holy See,” Putin added.

The Kremlin leader had met the pope three times — in 2013, 2015, and 2019.

The last time they spoke was in December 2021 by telephone, Russian state media reported, weeks before Moscow launched its offensive on Ukraine.

The pope had repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine.

In 2016, he met the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, in the first-ever meeting between the heads of the two churches.

That ended with the singing of a joint 10-page declaration, seen at the time as an important milestone in relations between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox branches of Christianity.