Metropolitan Veniamin: The Pope's visit to Belarus should be coordinated with Patriarch Kirill

Metropolitan Veniamin, head of the Belarusian Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate, said that a possible visit of Pope Leo XIV to Belarus should be coordinated with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. This condition was voiced at a meeting with the Pope’s special envoy, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, held in Minsk on October 27.

According to the portal Nasha Niva, Cardinal Gugerotti arrived in Belarus on October 25 to participate in the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Pinsk diocese. During his visit, he also held meetings with Alexander Lukashenko and Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov. At the meeting with Metropolitan Veniamin, they discussed the spiritual and religious situation in the world, the situation of Christians in the Middle East and the situation around the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The potential visit of the head of the Catholic Church to Belarus became the central topic of the talks. Metropolitan Veniamin emphasized that such an event is of special significance. He pointed out the need to discuss this issue with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, since the Belarusian Orthodox Church is under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, and the majority of believers in the country are Orthodox.

“It is important that the subject of the visit is also discussed with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and taking into account the opinion of the synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church,” the publication quotes the message of the press service of the BOC. Both sides also noted the positive nature of interaction between the Orthodox Church and the Church in Belarus and agreed on the importance of maintaining trusting relations in a complex international environment.

Recall, earlier we reported that the Republic of Belarus plans to open its embassy in the Vatican in 2025. The corresponding decree has already been signed by Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko. Earlier, Belarus did not have an embassy at the Holy See, while consular functions were performed by Belarusian ambassadors in neighboring Switzerland.