{"id":2438429,"date":"2025-05-23T13:32:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T17:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kremlin-says-vatican-shouldnt-host-peace-talks-due-to-religious-differences-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-05-23T13:32:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T17:32:35","slug":"kremlin-says-vatican-shouldnt-host-peace-talks-due-to-religious-differences-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kremlin-says-vatican-shouldnt-host-peace-talks-due-to-religious-differences-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Kremlin says Vatican shouldn&#8217;t host peace talks due to religious differences- Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkremlin-says-vatican-shouldnt-host-peace-talks-due-to-religious-differences-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2438429&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Kremlin has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-graham-slams-court-packing-as-radical-idea\/\" title=\"Sen. Graham slams court packing as \u2018radical\u2019 ...\">expressed strong reservations<\/a> about the idea proposed by President Donald Trump for the Vatican too <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bennett-zelensky-speak-after-ukraine-leader-suggests-jerusalem-host-peace-talks\/\" title=\"Bennett, ... Speak After ... Leader Suggests Jerusalem ... ... Talks\">host peace talks<\/a> between Russia and Ukraine.Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that there are no current plans for negotiations and specifically dismissed the Vatican as a venue due to religious differences between the predominantly Orthodox nations of Russia and Ukraine, suggesting that it would be inappropriate for them to meet in a Catholic setting. Despite the Vatican&#8217;s willingness, as indicated by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the idea raises concerns about the implications for the Russian Orthodox church&#8217;s image, which closely aligns with the Kremlin.Meanwhile,Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains open to diplomacy and has indicated his willingness to meet anytime and anywhere with Trump and Russian President vladimir Putin to work toward peace.Option negotiation venues, such as Turkey and Switzerland, have been suggested should the Vatican be ruled out.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Kremlin says Vatican shouldn&rsquo;t <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >host peace talks due<\/a> to religious differences<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2126199\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kremlin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Kremlin<\/a> is unenthusiastic about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">President Donald Trump&rsquo;s proposal<\/a> for the Vatican to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/114535693441367601\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">proposed in a Monday statement<\/a> on social media that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pope-leo-xiv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Pope Leo XIV<\/a> host delegations in Vatican City and play a mediating role in establishing a ceasefire.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3420401\/ukraine-russia-prisoner-swap-underway-trump-something-big\/\">Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap underway, Trump hopes it could &#8216;lead to something big&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3419827\/israel-allies-scramble-address-war-aid-gaza\/\">Israel&#8217;s allies scramble to address continued war and lack of aid in Gaza<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3419671\/south-africa-economic-freedom-fighters-denounce-trump\/\">Party of inflammatory South African politician featured in Oval Office meeting denounces Trump&#8217;s &#8216;illiterate rants&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Kremlin officials &ldquo;don&rsquo;t have any ideas right now&rdquo; about where to meet with Ukrainian counterparts, but shot down the idea of the Vatican.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who received the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, attends a ceremony to present the highest state awards in the Catherine Hall of the Kremlin&rsquo;s Senate Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 22, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The minister specifically framed it as a religious issue, noting that Russia and Ukraine are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/christianity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Orthodox countries<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But imagine the Vatican as a venue for negotiations. It would be a bit inelegant for Orthodox countries to use a Catholic platform to discuss issues on how to remove the root causes [of the conflict],&rdquo; said Lavrov. <\/p>\n<p>He speculated that the religious differences complicate the process and even implied it would be uncomfortable for the host. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I do not think it would suit the Vatican itself to host delegations from two Orthodox countries in these circumstances,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>If Russia believes the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/catholic-church\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Holy See<\/a> is uncomfortable with the prospect of hosting the warring Orthodox countries within its walls, their Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed earlier this week that Pope Leo XIV told her in a phone call that he was &ldquo;always ready&rdquo; to take on the responsibility. This possibility was among several &ldquo;cool ideas&rdquo; conveyed in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pope Leo XIV delivers his homily inside St. Paul Outside The Walls Basilica in Rome, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, where Pope Leo came to pray over the tomb of the Apostle Paul. (AP Photo\/Gregorio Borgia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Zelensky has repeatedly affirmed that he would be willing to meet anytime, anywhere with Trump and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/vladimir-putin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>His willingness to use the Vatican as a platform for diplomacy was made clear when he met with Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis&rsquo;s funeral to discuss peace efforts.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ukraine is ready, and it is essential to ensure that Russia is prepared to truly end the war,&rdquo; he said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>The idea that Orthodox Christianity, in particular the Russian Orthodox Church, could be a stumbling block to Holy See-Russia relations is not a new proposition.<\/p>\n<p>The optics of a Russian leader flying to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Rome<\/a> to broker peace under the guidance of the Holy See would be deeply damaging to the image of the Russian Orthodox Church, which operates hand-in-hand with the Kremlin as a fount of religious legitimacy.<\/p>\n<p>For over a decade, the secular government&rsquo;s bilateral diplomacy with the pope has been treated as separate from ecumenism efforts between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Holy See.<\/p>\n<p>Putin visited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pope-francis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Pope Francis<\/a> in 2013, 2015, and 2019, saying after his last visit that they had a &ldquo;very substantive, interesting discussion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pope Francis walks next to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of a private audience at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 10, 2015. (AP Photo\/Gregorio Borgia, Pool, file)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Moscow Patriarch Kirill, the highest authority in the Russian Orthodox Church, met with Pope Francis in 2019 during a trip to Cuba. The meeting was the first time the head of the Catholic Church and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church had been together since the East-West Schism in 1054.<\/p>\n<p>However, the meeting hardly quelled tensions between the two churches. <\/p>\n<p>Pope Francis was an unabashed critic of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia-ukraine-war\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Russian invasion of Ukraine<\/a> and repeatedly spoke out against Kirill&rsquo;s close relationship with the Kremlin.<\/p>\n<p>Kirill encouraged Russian Christians to take up arms and join the military effort, declaring it a &ldquo;holy war&rdquo; that has the potential to wash away the sins of soldiers who die fighting for the cause. <\/p>\n<p>Pope Francis rebuked Kirill for putting state above religion and told the patriarch that he &ldquo;cannot become Putin&rsquo;s altar boy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church is also a vocal critic of the Russian government, the Russian Orthodox Church, and Kirill.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3416029\/jd-vance-marco-rubio-bring-pope-leo-xiv-letter-trump-chicago-bears-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">VANCE, RUBIO BRING POPE LEO XIV LETTER FROM TRUMP AND CHICAGO BEARS JERSEY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are brothers, and we talk straight to each other.&nbsp;We do not dance the&nbsp;minuet,&rdquo;&nbsp;Pope Francis once told reporters of his relationship with Kirill.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, left, and Pope Francis meet at the Jose Marti airport in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. This is the first-ever papal meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a historic development in the 1,000-year schism within Christianity. (Max Rossi\/Pool photo via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Moscow patriarch&rsquo;s relationship with Pope Leo XIV is still in early development, just weeks after the latter&rsquo;s election. What ecumenical efforts can be expected to remain unclear, but Kirill did send the new pope a congratulatory letter following his election that seemed to signal an openness to peace.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You are beginning your ministry as the head of the Roman Catholic Church at a particularly historic moment, marked by a series of cultural challenges as well as certain signs of hope,&rdquo; Kirill told the pope. &ldquo;In this context, the relationship between the Christian East and West holds special significance for the fate of the world.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>If the Vatican is ruled out as a mediator for Russia-Ukraine peace talks, several other venues<span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">, such as Turkey and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/switzerland\/\" target=\"_blank\">Switzerland, <\/a>remain on the table<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2126199\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2126199\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kremlin opposes Vatican hosting peace talks due to faith differences<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2438430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AP25140573938824.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4885,38128,9367],"class_list":["post-2438429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-kremlin","tag-peace-talks","tag-vatican"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AP25140573938824.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2438429"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2438433,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438429\/revisions\/2438433"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2438430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2438429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2438429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2438429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}