Pope Leo discusses war in Ukraine with authority from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Russian authorities, however, said they do not consider the Vatican a serious venue for talks.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Leo discussed the war in Ukraine on Saturday with Metropolitan Anthony, a senior cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church, in a possible effort to ease ties between the churches, strained by the Russian invasion.
Leo met with Anthony, president of the church's Department of External Relations, and five other high-ranking clergymen during a morning audience, the Vatican said.
"During the conversation, numerous issues were raised regarding the state of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, as well as ongoing conflicts in the world, including in Ukraine and the Middle East," the Russian Orthodox Church said in a statement.
Since assuming the papacy in May, Leo has repeatedly appealed for peace in global conflicts and, this month, told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the Vatican was willing to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Russian authorities, however, said they do not consider the Vatican a serious venue for talks because it is surrounded by Italy, a NATO member that has been supporting Ukraine.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has enthusiastically supported the invasion of Ukraine.
The statement from the Russian church also indicated that Kirill's congratulations were conveyed to Leo on his election as pope.
"Pope Leo XIV expressed his gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill for his good wishes and noted the importance of developing relations with the Russian Orthodox Church," he added.
(Reporting by Sara Rossi and Fylyp Lebedev)
