Russia to send culture minister to pope funeral

Apr 24, 2025

By AFP, Moscow
Russia's culture minister will attend Pope Francis' funeral this weekend, the Kremlin said on April 23, as Moscow's three-year Ukraine offensive has led to an international arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow announced the relatively low-ranking representative for the event that will see world leaders descend on the Vatican on April 26.

"Culture Minister [Olga] Lyubimova will, on Putin's decision, represent Russia at Pope Francis' funeral," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.

Putin has not travelled to a Western country since launching the 2022 Ukraine offensive.

He is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for the alleged forced deportation of Ukrainian children.

The Kremlin said a day earlier that Putin has no plans to attend the funeral.

The Russian leader had met the pope three times -- in 2013, 2015, and 2019.

Pope Francis repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine.

Ties between Moscow -- the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church -- and the Vatican have been icy for centuries and no pope has ever visited Russia.

In 2016, Pope Francis met with Russia's Patriarch Kirill in Cuba -- the first encounter between a Catholic pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch since the Great Schism in 1054.--ucanews.com