LISBON – During a meeting with interreligious leaders on Friday morning in Lisbon, Pope Francis spoke to a Russian Orthodox bishop who voiced regret for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and thanked the pontiff for his repeated efforts and words on behalf of the Ukrainian people.
Fr Peter Stilwell, director of the Portuguese bishops’ Department of Ecumenical Relations and Interreligious Dialogue, told journalists after the meeting that he was standing behind the Russian Orthodox bishop, who he said is an auxiliary bishop for the Russian Orthodox diocese of Paris, as they were in line greeting the pontiff.
This bishop gave the Pope an icon of the Virgin Mary and told him that even though he belongs to the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow, which has been vocally supportive of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “In my community we feel, very much, the horror of this Ukrainian war.”
“I would like to thank you very much for all you have done for the Ukrainian people,” the bishop told Pope Francis, according to Fr Stilwell. The bishop also told Pope Francis that his own name was Peter and he himself was moved “because I’m now meeting with you, who are the Successor of Peter.”
Fr Stilwell said the Pope seemed visibly moved by what the bishop had said and appeared to be “caught unawares by his emotions, whereas before he had been exhausted by what he had done in the morning.” The whole encounter lasted about 30-45 seconds, he said, before the line moved forward and Pope Francis continued greeting other religious leaders.
Though Fr Stilwell did not identify the bishop, presumably he was referring to Bishop Petru Pruteanu, who is responsible for the Russian Orthodox community in Portugal and Spain on behalf of the Paris-based Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe.
At a press conference on the meeting Friday afternoon, interreligious leaders – including an Anglican prelate, an Evangelical minister and a representative of the Hindu community in Portugal – said that the conversation focused largely on the need for dialogue, encounter, mutual respect and inclusion.
In his comments to journalists Fr Stilwell said that there had been around 20 people in his group, and that the Pope “spoke to us very easily about how it was important to realize that we were brothers in our different religious traditions.”
“That was something which for him was very important,” he said, saying the Pope at one point stretched out his hand and said, “our hand should be stretched out in friendship to others, and then he put his hand down and said, not in our pocket.”
The pocket, the Pope said, “has to do with money, unfortunately everything in society seems to be valued in terms of exchange, but there are certain things that cannot be bought and sold.”
Fr Stilwell said Pope Francis also stressed the importance of “keeping society open to transcendence” and to the presence of God, as well as efforts to promote human dignity and care for the poor.
The Israeli Ambassador to Portugal and the Rector of the University of Lisbon were also present, as they had planted six trees alongside Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, in a botanical garden representing six major religions – Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam – with youth from each of the religions present.
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