After the pontiff mentioned he’ll ease his journey, the Vatican confirms an upcoming Central Asia go to the place he might meet with the Russian Orthodox Church’s chief.
Pope Francis will go to Kazakhstan as deliberate in September to attend an interfaith convention within the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan, the Vatican confirmed on Monday.
The announcement of the journey comes two days after the pontiff revealed he would ease his worldwide schedule, because the 85-year-old has been affected by knee ache. It compelled Pope Francis to cancel a string of occasions in current months, together with a visit to Africa.
“Accepting the invitation of the civil and ecclesial authorities, Pope Francis will make the introduced Apostolic Journey to Kazakhstan from September 13 to fifteen,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni wrote in an announcement.
Pope Francis might meet with the chief of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, as he has mentioned he would attend.
Patriarch Kirill has justified Moscow’s battle in Ukraine on non secular and ideological grounds, calling it a “metaphysical” battle with the West.
Francis referred to as off a deliberate encounter with Kirill in June in Jerusalem due to the diplomatic fallout it will have created.
Kirill has blessed Russian troopers going into battle and invoked the concept Russians and Ukrainians are one folks.
Francis and Kirill, who had a primary historic encounter in Havana, Cuba in 2016, have spoken by video name not less than as soon as for the reason that invasion of Ukraine started.
Pope Francis returned Saturday from a six-day go to to Canada, the place he referred to as the remedy of Indigenous folks in Canadian residential faculties “genocide”.
He admitted it was time to sluggish his tempo of worldwide journey and mentioned he might have to consider retiring – however not but.
Francis was elected in 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI turned the primary pontiff for the reason that Center Ages to retire, citing his declining bodily and psychological well being.
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