MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. Pope Leo XIV may have learned Russia’s position on Ukraine for the first time during yesterday’s conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, having previously been exposed only to biased Western narratives, political analyst and religious scholar Alexander Stenko told TASS.
"If we view yesterday’s conversation as a direct exchange during a critical situation, it is undoubtedly an extraordinary event. The main topic, the Ukrainian crisis, fits into the general dynamics of this ‘dossier’. From the first days of his pontificate, Pope Leo has declared his intention to mediate in resolving the conflict. Obviously, Kiev has tried its best to get the head of the Roman Catholic Church on its side and impose its own narratives on the Vatican. It is very good that the conversation took place. I wouldn’t rule out that Pope Leo heard Russia’s position on Ukraine for the first time, as he clearly hadn’t studied this issue in detail before and was only exposed to the Western agenda, which, as we know, isn’t always accurate, especially regarding Ukraine," he said.
The expert noted that as head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV hasn’t overtly spoken out against Russia. "Despite criticism in Russian media, it’s important to remember that as head of the Vatican, Pope Leo hasn’t adopted any explicitly anti-Russian stances on Ukraine. His harshest statements on this matter were made back in 2022 when he occupied a completely different status as a regional Catholic bishop in Latin America. Now that yesterday’s conversation took place, we can hope that his approach will become even more objective, pragmatic, and unbiased," Stenko added.
He pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin has held numerous meetings and conversations with Pope Leo’s predecessors. "Among current world leaders, he certainly holds a kind of record in this sense," the expert concluded.
The phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Leo XIV took place on Wednesday evening. The Russian president confirmed Moscow’s interest in achieving peace in Ukraine through political-diplomatic means and thanked the pontiff for his willingness to assist in the peace process. Putin drew the Pope’s attention to Kiev’s escalation of the conflict and informed Leo XIV about humanitarian agreements reached in Istanbul. The Russian leader expressed hope that the Holy See would more actively promote freedom of religion in Ukraine.