Vatican mulling historic Jerusalem meeting between pope, Russian patriarch
The Vatican is studying the possibility of extending Pope Francis' trip to Lebanon in June so he can fly to Jerusalem to meet there the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has backed Russia's war in Ukraine, two sources told Reuters on Monday.Ukraine War Has Caused a Surge in Aliyah to Israel - from Russia
It would be only their second meeting. Their first, in Cuba in 2016, was the first between a pope and a leader of the Russian Orthodox Church since the Great Schism that split Christianity into Eastern and Western branches in 1054.
Kirill, 75, has given his full-throated blessing for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a position that has splintered the worldwide Orthodox Church and unleashed an internal rebellion that theologians and academics say is unprecedented.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the plan was for the 85-year-old pope, who is due in Lebanon on June 12-13, to fly to Amman, Jordan on the morning of June 14.
From there, he would board a helicopter to Jerusalem on the same day for the meeting with Kirill and then return to Rome from there, the sources said.
One source said the trip appeared to be almost certain, while the other said it was one possibility.
Returning from his trip to Malta last week, Francis said he hoped to meet Kirill somewhere in the Middle East this year but did not say where.
Kirill called on Russians on Sunday to rally around the authorities as Moscow pursues what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine.
The patriarch has previously made statements defending Moscow's actions in Ukraine and views the war as a bulwark against a liberal Western culture that he considers decadent.
The number of immigrants and potential immigrants to Israel from Russia in the past two months far exceeds the number of immigrants and potential immigrants from Ukraine, Israel's National Security Council reported. From the start of the war on Feb. 24 to the first week in April, 8,371 immigrants and potential immigrants from Ukraine have landed in Israel. At the same time, 12,593 immigrants and potential immigrants from Russia have landed in Israel. In all of 2021, only 7,700 Russians made aliyah.
Israeli officials based in Russia have also reported a huge increase in aliyah files being opened there. The officials are reluctant to speak publicly for fear that Russian authorities might try to stop the large number of Jews fleeing the country. The exodus has been attributed to fears of economic hardship arising from the sanctions imposed on Russia.
At the same time, there has been a dramatic slowdown in the pace of aliyah from Ukraine, attributed to the fact that those Jews who wanted to leave Ukraine had already gotten out. Moreover, many of the refugees from Ukraine hope to return there as soon as possible, which makes Europe a better place to wait out the war. The number of Ukrainians who identify as Jewish is estimated at 43,000, with 200,000 eligible for aliyah under the Law of Return. The core Jewish population of Russia is estimated at 200,000, with 600,000 eligible.