Pope kisses the crotch of Putin’s church leader

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Pope Francis (86) was on a three-day state visit to Hungary. He also met Hilarion (56), former ‘Minister of Foreign Affairs’ of the Russian Orthodox Church. Hilarion has long been traded as the successor to Russian church leader Kirill I (76), who was a prominent supporter of the war in Ukraine in the past.

Hilarion was sanctioned by Ukraine. The government in Kiev accuses him of supporting “the Russian genocide in Ukraine”.

Demoted by Kiril

Photos online show the Pope greeting Hilarion for the first time with a kiss. He then kisses the cross that the Russian church leader wears around his neck.

Hilarion, 56, was relieved of his duties as “foreign minister” by Kiril in 2022 and appointed head of the Budapest-Hungary Russian Orthodox Church. Formally, this is a relegation. It is unclear exactly why the relegation came about.

The photos of Hilarion and the Pope cause displeasure on the internet. “Has the Pope gone mad?” one user wrote on Twitter. There is also talk of a “moral bankruptcy”.

Dialogue with Moscow

The pope’s public stance on the war in Ukraine has drawn repeated criticism in the past. Since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, the pope has repeatedly condemned war and called for peace. At the same time, however, the Vatican tried to maintain dialogue with Moscow.

Critics therefore accused the head of the church of not criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) explicitly enough. The photos that have now surfaced are creating even more controversy.

The trip to Hungary was the pope’s 41st trip abroad since taking office in 2013 and his first visit abroad following a three-day hospital stay shortly before Easter due to bronchitis.

Francis had already been to Hungary two years ago. Of the country’s 9.7 million inhabitants, 39 percent are Catholic. (zis)

Source: Blick