Pope Francis is set to make his 38th Apostolic Journey to Kazakhstan in September for the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, Matteo Bruni, the Director of the Holy See Press Office has confirmed. During the trip it is likely the Pope will come face to face with Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church and a noted ally of Vladimir Putin. 

The Pope had already planned to meet Kirill in Jerusalem this summer but cancelled on the advice of diplomats. The pair previously met in Cuba in 2016, the first ever meeting between the leaders of the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches. Since the war began, the Pope has praised Ukrainians for fighting for their survival, but added the situation was not black and white, and the war was “perhaps in some way provoked”. 

In a message earlier this year for the World Day of the Poor, the Pope said the Ukraine war involved “the direct intervention of a superpower aimed at imposing its own will in violation of the principle of the self-determination of peoples.” Yet, Pope Francis said that several months before the war in Ukraine began, he met a head of state who expressed concern that NATO was “barking at the gates of Russia” in a way which could lead to war. 

The Pope asked rhetorically if his words made him “pro-Putin”, something he went on to refute. The Pope has previously described the war in Ukraine as a “macabre regression of humanity”, adding that the city of Mariupol had been “barbarously bombarded and destroyed.” At the time however, the Pontiff did not specifically say Russia was responsible for the war or events in Mariupol. 

A meeting with senior Russians could satisfy a long-held ambition. In May, Pope Francis said he asked for a meeting in Moscow with Putin to try to stop the war but had not received a reply. The pope also told Italy’s Corriere Della Sera newspaper that Kirill “cannot become Putin’s altar boy”, having also visited the Russian embassy when the war began.

In June, meanwhile, Pope Francis told Reuters there have been contacts between Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about a trip to Moscow. The Pope said: “I would like to go (to Ukraine), and I wanted to go to Moscow first.” The Pope said that following his Canada trip, which has just finished, he may visit Ukraine.

Shortly after the war began, the Pope held a video meeting with Kirill, warning the Russian cleric against hiding behind religion to justify aggression and conquest. The Pope said: “Once upon a time there was also talk in our churches of holy war or just war. Today we cannot speak like this.” 

Announcement of the Kazakhstan trip comes just after the Pope recently tweeted: “The use of #NuclearWeapons, as well as their mere possession, is immoral. Trying to defend and ensure stability and peace through a false sense of security and a “balance of terror” ends up poisoning relationships between peoples and obstructs real dialogue.”

The Kazakhstan trip may then afford the Pope the opportunity he has been waiting for, to conduct a dialogue with Kirill and attempt some kind of peace-making. Moscow has couched the war in historical and religious language, framing the conflict as a battle of traditional values versus Western decadence, while guarding Russia’s historic borders and security.

Amid criticism of the Vatican’s relatively friendly ties with China – or, at least, its willingness to continue with an agreement while Catholics remain persecuted in the country – the Pope may be wary of seeming too friendly towards Moscow. Matters are further complicated by the fact that staunchly Catholic Poland is vehemently opposed to Putin, although Poland’s ally – Hungary – adopts a more conciliatory approach.

That being said, the Vatican may believe it is in a unique position to promote dialogue above the noise of politics, and the Pope could use the September visit as the moment of outreach he has been waiting for. Up until the war, relations between the Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Church had seemed to improve. The Pope will however be wary of alienating Ukrainian Orthodox Christians who have broken with the Russian Church.

This is a delicate situation and the Pope knows he must tread carefully. Like the rest of central and eastern Europe – despite antagonism between modern-day Poland and Putin’s Russia – Christianity has roared back to life in post-communist Russia, as well as post-communist Belarus and Ukraine, with many common traditional cultural values across the region.

In many respects, the Catholic Church shares in these values and could find some common cause with the people of both Russia and Ukraine. This may afford the Pope a unique opportunity. But it will be a balancing act for the Pontiff. If, however, he can appeal to common humanity and go above the fray of politics, he may have a chance of reaching people on both sides.

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