Pope greets Russian patriarch, criticized for ‘naïve’ policy

By NICOLE WINFIELD and MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has sent a protocol greeting to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, assuring him of prayers on his patron’s feast day and stressing the value of human life and of wisdom. The Vatican is insisting on maintaining cordial relations with the Russian church amid the war in Ukraine. The website of the Moscow Patriarchate published the brief letter of greetings Francis sent Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on Tuesday. The head of the Polish Catholic bishops’ conference returned from a visit to Ukraine this week and called for the Vatican to change its “naïve and utopian” policy on Russia, saying it won’t work in the long run.