Among the countless comments that followed the death of Pope Francis, one is quite particular. It came from Moscow, from the two highest political and religious authorities of Russia: President Vladimir Putin and Orthodox Patriarch Kirill.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 22, Putin and Kirill met in the Kremlin with Serbian Patriarch Porfirije (see photo). And both the video and the transcript of the conversation appeared on the Russian president’s official website.
Presented below are some passages from the words the three exchanged, initially on the proximity between Serbia and Russia as parts of the common “Russkij mir” opposed to the “demonic” West, and then with direct references to Pope Francis.
Neither Putin nor Kirill will be in Rome on Saturday, April 26, for Francis’s funeral. In attendance for the Orthodox patriarchate of Moscow will be Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, president of the department for external ecclesiastical relations, very close to the Community of Sant’Egidio and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi.
*
From the transcript of the meeting in the Kremlin between Putin, Kirill, and Porfirije
Moscow, April 22, 2025
Patriarch Porfirije: I was in Jerusalem two weeks ago and spoke with the [Orthodox] patriarch of Jerusalem. […] And when we spoke about Orthodoxy on the global level, he told me: we Orthodox have a trump card. I asked: what is it? Vladimir Putin, he told me. […] My desire and that of the majority of our Church is that in the future, if there is a new geopolitical division, this common Russian world may hold together.
V. Putin: Your Holiness, you spoke about identity. This is what the Russian Orthodox Church is doing under the leadership of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’. His Holiness the Patriarch [Kirill] is making great efforts to strengthen our traditional values, our spiritual principles.
Patriarch Kirill: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich! I am very glad that this meeting has taken place. Of all the Orthodox Churches, the Serbian Church is closest to the Russian Church, both in culture and language and history. […] But there is one more thing I would like to say: the Serbs are, of course, farther to the west than we; so the Lord has ordained. This is a Church that comes into direct contact with the Western world, from which can be received, and probably has been received, much that is useful in both the scientific and cultural fields. But what is happening today to human morality, to ethics in the West, yes, I will say it out loud, what is there to be ashamed of? This whole business is demonic.
Patriarch Porfirije: That’s true.
Patriarch Kirill: And why demonic? Because the devil’s task is to make man lose sight of the difference between good and evil. There are behaviors about which the Church says: you cannot do it. And the word of God says: you cannot do it. But modern secular culture says: why not? A person is free to act as he wishes; this is simply freedom of choice.
This approach destroys the moral foundations of human existence, and terrible civilizational catastrophes could occur. Because if this integrity of the human person is destroyed, everything that comes with it collapses. The Russian Orthodox Church, as you know, upholds these positions and defends them on the international stage. But of course we also need good allies.
V. Putin: Your Holiness, you mentioned what is happening in the western part of our world. We all know this well, we all saw, we witnessed your meeting with the pope, who has left us in these Easter days. This, it seems to me, shows that even in the West there are still people, there are forces, and spiritual forces, that are striving to restore relations and revive spiritual principles.
Patriarch Kirill: Absolutely, yes.
V. Putin: Western culture, whatever anyone may say, is based on Christian principles.
Patriarch Kirill: You have very correctly recalled the late pope. He was a man of rather strong ideas and convictions, despite the strong pressure he was subjected to, including the cooling of relations with the Russian Church.
He is now in another world, so I can quote him with assurance, without asking him for permission. When he was really pressed, forgive the abrupt word, he spoke just one short phrase: ‘Do not pit me against Kirill.’ He turned and walked away. And those who were pressing him were his close associates: [they told him] that it was necessary to change course, that it was impossible, so to speak, to remain tied to Russian policy.
This phrase of his – “Do not pit me against Kirill” – was constantly in my memory and consciousness while he was alive. Our relations were good. Now the Lord has called him to another world, but the memories I have of him are the most beautiful regarding his attitude both toward Russia and toward the Russian Church.
V. Putin: It is the same for me too. We met several times. It was almost natural – I can say – that he should have a good attitude toward Russia. Considering his Latin American origins and the state of mind of the overwhelming majority of citizens of Latin American countries, he probably also had these sentiments and built relations with Russia in the most benevolent way.
(Translated by Matthew Sherry: traduttore@hotmail.com)
————
Sandro Magister is past “vaticanista” of the Italian weekly L’Espresso.
The latest articles in English of his blog Settimo Cielo are on this page.
But the full archive of Settimo Cielo in English, from 2017 to today, is accessible.
As is the complete index of the blog www.chiesa, which preceded it.
