Russia hopes to continue and develop its ongoing dialogue with the Vatican, according to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow, in a statement posted after the election of the new pontiff.
The Russian Foreign Ministry hopes its exchange will continue including concerning the war in Ukraine, it said a day after Pope Leo XIV was elected to lead the Catholic Church.
“We value the constructive cooperation with the Vatican in resolving a number of humanitarian issues in the context of the conflict in Ukraine,” the ministry said in a statement published on its website.
The relationship is based on a mutual commitment to “traditional spiritual and moral values” and a similar approach to issues of global development and the establishment of a just world order, the Russian ministry said.
The ministry emphasized in its statement that relations between Moscow and the Holy See are based on mutual respect and support.
However, Leo’s predecessor, pope Francis, had repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine.
In March, the former pontiff said the underdog, meaning Ukraine, must have the courage to negotiate, a statement that drew criticism worldwide, as some saw it as suggesting Kiev capitulate, in the full-scale invasion launched by Russia more than three years ago.
Relations between Moscow and Rome have not always run smooth with the Russian Orthodox Church for years accusing Catholics of trying to proselytize within its sphere of influence.
In 2016, the first ever meeting was held between the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill I, and the Pope – Francis, at the time.