According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, it is not practical to hold peace negotiations at the Vatican. He went on to say that Orthodox nations like Russia and Ukraine shouldn’t settle disputes about the conflict’s origins in a Catholic setting.
Lavrov asserts that the Ukrainian government’s attempts to undermine the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are one of those origins.
The debate regarding the legitimacy of the Church
Lavrov cited actions made by Ukraine this summer to outlaw the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is associated with Moscow, and to establish the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is associated with Ukraine, as the nation’s official Orthodox church. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow is still acknowledged by Moscow as the only authentic Orthodox religious leader for Russia and Ukraine. The Kyiv Patriarchate’s validity is still a controversial topic that splits Eastern Slavic Orthodoxy and the larger Orthodox Christian community.
Vladimir Putin’s Russkiy Mir (Russian World) ideology, which serves as the foundation for his geopolitical goals, is rooted in religious identity. This gives Ukraine’s political and military conflict a potent religious component.
There is still a lot of doubt regarding Russia’s sincere commitment to a ceasefire, both inside the Vatican and in Western capitals, even if prominent figures like US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have expressed strong support for the Vatican’s peace efforts.
A Ukrainian Greek-Catholic bishop named Bishop Hlib Lonchyna voiced skepticism on Moscow’s motivations.
Russia is not influenced by Pope Leo XIV.
“They have no recognition of our Church,”
he stated.
“On the opposite—they seek to obliterate it, similar to their actions in the occupied regions where Greek-Catholic churches are being demolished.”
As members of the Eastern Catholic Church, Greek Catholics continue to retain communion with Rome and practice the Byzantine rite. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was banned by Stalin’s government after World War II, and its holdings were given to the Moscow Patriarchate. Many historians attribute this action to the Church’s strong relations with Soviet authorities.
Pope Leo XIV had intended for one of the main goals of his papacy to be a Vatican-led settlement of international disputes. However, the hard realities of international politics—what his predecessor, Pope Francis, famously referred to as “a world war fought in pieces”—may now force him to give up his original hope.
Russian skepticism towards a US pope
Western nations applauded the Vatican’s apparent reaffirmation of support for Ukrainian interests. Pope Leo XIV said during his first mass that discussions for a fair and sustainable peace are already underway in troubled Ukraine.
Vatican mediation under the pope is still feasible; Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga told the Italian newspaper La Stampa: “It is undoubtedly difficult; however, with Pope Leo, anything becomes achievable—he enjoys the trust of the worldwide community leaders.”
He did concede, though, that Russia is still hesitant to distance itself from the Vatican. He asserted that “no government, regardless of its strength, can afford to act alone.”
Moscow’s suspicion of Vatican involvement predates Pope Leo, according to Pasquale Ferrara, Director General for Political Affairs at Italy’s Foreign Ministry and a professor at LUISS University in Rome. According to Ferrara, “this doubt stems from the historic tension between the Russian Orthodox and Catholic Churches, persisting even during the papacy of Francis.”
This conflict dates back to the Great Schism of 1054 and has significant historical origins. Over the years, the competition between Catholics and Orthodox has been a factor in many disputes and power struggles.
The Pope is not seen by many Orthodox Christians as a valid religious leader. Despite the fact that promoting peace sometimes seems political, religion has once again become a significant geopolitical force.
