Pope Leo Meets with Top Russian Orthodox Cleric Amid War, Strained Relations

Pope Leo and the French Mission

Since his election, Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prévost, of French-Canadian descent, has shown a particular affection for French Catholics and for the eldest daughter of the Church—an attitude that contrasts with that of his predecessor, who dismissed the reopening of Notre-Dame, or who considered that by going to Marseille, he was not coming to France. In contrast, Pope Leo is delivering a message of the utmost importance: the land of France, ric…

Full text: Pope Leo XIV Angelus address July 27

(OSV News) — The following is the full text of the Angelus address given by Pope Leo XIV July 27, 2025, at St. Peter’s Square. Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday! Today’s Gospel presents Jesus teaching his disciples the Our Father (cf. Lk 11:1-13). This is the prayer that unites all Christians, in which the Lord invites us to address God as “Abba,” “Father,” with childlike “simplicity, filial trust… boldness, the certainty of being loved” (…

Pope Leo meets with top Russian Orthodox cleric amid war, strained relations - Catholic Review

Pope Leo XIV met with a top Russian Orthodox cleric, the first such visit from Moscow since the papal election, and one that comes amid strained relations with Rome due to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. The Vatican noted that the pope received Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chair of the Moscow Patriarchate’s external relations department — who also attended the funeral of Pope Francis — in a July 26 morning audience. Although the Vatican…