Pope Francis: I Will Not Visit Kyiv Before Moscow

Pope Francis will not visit Kyiv before visiting Moscow, nor will he visit either capital without the other. The Jesuit-sponsored newspaper Amerika reported that he had intended to visit Moscow following the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, but received a response from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicating that such a visit was not needed at this time. The Pope had also previously expressed, during his visit to Bahrain, his love and respect for both the Russian and Ukrainian peoples, urging all parties to engage in dialogue to achieve peace in Ukraine.