ROME – After rumors circulated in the past 24 hours that Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill had blocked attempts by Pope Francis to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Moscow Patriarchate’s website announced that its leadership held a virtual conversation with Vatican officials.

In a March 16 communique published to their website, the Moscow Patriarchate said that earlier in the day Kirill and Pope Francis spoke via “remote communication.”

Representatives of the Orthodox Church joining Kirill on the call included Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, and a representative of the department’s office for inter-Christian relations identified as I.A. Nikolaev.

On the Vatican side, Pope Francis was joined by Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Father Jaromir Zadrapa, a member of the same department.

According to the patriarchate’s statement, Kirill “cordially greeted” Pope Francis and expressed his “satisfaction with the possibility of organizing a conversation.”

“A detailed discussion of the situation on Ukrainian soil took place,” the patriarchate said, saying particular attention was paid “to the humanitarian aspects of the current crisis” as well as actions taken by both the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church “to overcome its consequences.”

Both parties “stressed the exceptional importance of the ongoing negotiation process, expressing their hope for the soonest achievement of a just peace,” the statement said, noting that several “current issues of bilateral cooperation” were also discussed.

The phone call is believed to be the first direct contact between Kirill and Francis since the Ukraine war broke out Feb. 24.

It comes less than 24-hours after Ukrainian Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia said he believed Kirill had thwarted the pope’s attempts to speak with him and with Putin about Russia’s role in the conflict.

Speaking during a March 15 news conference alongside Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Gudziak said, “I’m convinced that [Pope Francis] has made every effort to speak to Putin and I have some information that he has not gotten responses to his gestures towards Patriarch Kirill.”

“I think that will change,” he said, adding, “I’m hoping the Russian Church leadership will open up and hear the gospel.”

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Kirill has also faced increased criticism and pressure within his own church and the broader Orthodox community for several statements supporting the war, which he blamed on the West for failing to adequately address Russia’s security concerns.

Four Russian Orthodox priests and a deacon in Amsterdam recently became the first to publicly request separation from the Moscow Patriarchate and to shift to the Patriarchate of Constantinople due to Kirill’s position on the war.

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The conversation between Kirill and Francis is also significant in that it comes amid increased doubts that a rumored second meeting between the two will happen this year as predicted.

In a recent interview, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin – who is celebrating a special Mass for peace in Ukraine in St. Peter’s Basilica Wednesday – cast doubt on the possibility of a Pope-Patriarch meeting, saying Kirill’s recent remarks “do not favor and do not promote an understanding” on the situation.

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“On the contrary, they risk aggravating spirits even more and going towards an escalation and not resolving the crisis in a peaceful way,” he said.

Asked about the potential second meeting between Kirill and Pope Francis, which was rumored to take place sometime between June and July, Parolin said, “This situation is complicated. We’ll see.”

Parolin has repeatedly emphasized the Vatican’s willingness to help negotiate a ceasefire, however, there is no indication yet that the Holy See is being taken up on that offer.

Follow Elise Ann Allen on Twitter: @eliseannallen