Catholic Online: In a bid to improve ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, Pope Francis will receive Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 25. Putin has previously met the pope’s predecessor Benedict XVI, as well as late pope John Paul II. There is optimism that the upcoming meeting with Pope Francis will be a historic one. According to the Vatican, Pope Francis will speak with Putin in Vatican City in a private audience that afternoon.
The two men would likely discuss international efforts to end the suffering and warfare in Syria. Francis has been monitoring the civil war there, and Russia has held a prominent role in trying to resolve the fears over Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal. Read more here.
