Pope Francis declared today (Friday) during an interview with an Argentine newspaper that he will not meet with the head of the Russian Church in Jerusalem.
Earlier this month, the Reuters news agency reported that the Vatican was considering a visit by the pope to Jerusalem in June.
Vatican officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the plan was for the 85-year-old pope, who will fly to Lebanon on June 12, to fly from there to Amman on the morning of June 14 - and from there fly by helicopter to Jerusalem for a meeting with Cyril I - and return to Rome.
The pope said in an interview that he regretted that the plan to hold the meeting should be "delayed" as it "could lead to much confusion at the moment".
This is against the background of the implicit criticism that Francis imposed on Russia and its President Vladimir Putin.
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