MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. The dialogue between Pope Francis and Russian President Vladimir Putin was of a mutually respectful and friendly nature, Alexander Avdeyev, Russia's former ambassador to the Vatican, told TASS.
"The Pope had very good intentions and political will to strengthen relations with Russia. We had a good dialogue, we truly did," the diplomat said.
According to Avdeyev, Putin "met with the Pope three times and paid visits to the Vatican." "These were trustful and cordial relations," he noted. "During this period, much was accomplished in terms of cultural ties with the Vatican. A good mechanism of political consultations between foreign ministries and diplomatic services was established."
The diplomat pointed out that "the Pope himself, as head of the Vatican, actively encouraged the development of such relations between Russia and the Vatican."
Avdeyev himself often met with the pontiff. "I will not get into the specifics, but the meetings were held very frequently," he said. "And we regularly met one-on-one. The Pope showed great interest in Russia's foreign policy, in the country's reasoning, in our motivation, positions, and their interpretations. He also had a strong interest in Russian multinational and multi-confessional culture in general." "Therefore, this is indeed a great loss for our bilateral relations," the former Russian ambassador concluded.
Earlier, the Holy See's press service reported that Pope Francis had died at the age of 88.