Pope meets with high-ranking metropolitan of the Russian Church

The pope Leo XIV met with Metropolitan Anthony, a high-ranking cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church, reports Reuters.

The Vatican reported that the pontiff met with Anthony, who heads the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as five other high-ranking dignitaries during the morning audience.

The Holy See did not provide any other details.

Reuters suggests that the meeting was held in a possible attempt to ease relations between the churches, which have been strained by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

UPDATED. The Russian Church said that the topics of the meeting included the Russian-Ukrainian war and the conflict in the Middle East. Antony told Leo about the alleged "persecution" against the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine, the church of the aggressor country said.

• In early June, Leo called on dictator Putin in a telephone conversation to make a "gesture" towards peace.
• In July, Zelenskyy met with the pope, and the pontiff reaffirmed the Vatican's readiness to accept the talks between Kyiv and Moscow. Earlier, the Kremlin opposed it.