Leonid Sevastyanov, head of the World Federation of Old Believers (these are Orthodox Christians who preserve the liturgical and liturgical practices of the Russian Orthodox Church), said that “Pope Francis is ready to visit Donetsk (in the Ukrainian region of Donbass) on his way to and from Moscow.” To see the places where the tragic events of eight years ago unfolded, hold a memorial service there and pray for all the children who died in the Great Patriotic War.”

In a statement to the Russian news agency TASS, quoting a conversation between him and Pope Francis, he indicated that he was “ready to meet with civilians and children who have lost their parents in order to sort things out for myself. dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the West in general”. He stressed that after the visit of Pope Francis to Donbass, “he can go to Ukraine to convey Russia’s position to Kyiv and help the parties find common ground, because he sees himself as a neutral mediator.”