WCC head meets with Patriarch Kirill

The acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches met this week with Patriarch Kirill, the Russian Orthodox Church head who has drawn global criticism for lending spiritual support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

According to a WCC readout of the meeting, acting General Secretary Ioan Sauca, a Romanian Orthodox priest, met with Kirill at the Patriarchal Residence in Moscow on October 17 to discuss “how churches are called to be peacemakers.” The two reportedly engaged in a public discussion as well as a separate, private conversation.

The meeting followed months of controversy surrounding the Russian Orthodox Church’s membership in the WCC. After Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, Sauca sent a letter to the Orthodox leader urging him to help facilitate a cease-fire. But Kirill instead repeatedly voiced support for the invasion, sparking calls to expel the Russian Orthodox Church from WCC membership.