Vakhtang Kipshidze, the deputy head of the synodal department of the Moscow Patriarchate for relations between church, society and the media, argued that Pope Francis should issue an official appeal to Ukrainian leadership to address the situation surrounding the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. He shared this view on the Soloviev Live TV program, according to TASS.
Kipshidze noted that over the weekend Patriarch Kirill had already sent a formal appeal to the Pope, asking him to draw attention to the events at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and to the concerns involved.
He stressed that such a response, while important, would not be enough on its own. He suggested that a formal appeal from Francis to Ukrainian authorities would signal that he genuinely cares about the rights of believers and about the fate of the priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The representative of the Russian Orthodox Church indicated that Pope Francis taking a direct, formal step would be a clear demonstration of concern for the wellbeing of religious communities and for the protection of sacred spaces in Ukraine.
On March 15, the Pope, during a regular meeting, expressed concern for the plight of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and called for respect for religious places of worship. [Source: TASS]