Pope Francis meets Russian President Putin

November 26, 2013 - Pope Francis received Russian president, Vladimir Putin in a private meeting Monday evening. The Russian head of state later met Vatican Secretary of State, Archbishop Pietro Parolin along with Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti. A Vatican communique said that the cordial talks expressed satisfaction over the good bilateral relations between the two sides. They focused on various issues of common interest, especially related to the life of the Catholic community in Russia, highlighting the fundamental contribution of Christianity in society. In this regard, they mentioned the critical situation of Christians in some regions of the world, as also the defence and promotion of values of the dignity of the person, and the protection of human life and the family. Besides, special attention was paid to the pursuit of peace in the Middle East and the grave situation in Syria, regarding which Putin thanked the Pope for his September letter to the Group of 20 meeting in St. Petersburg, in which the Pope urged world leaders to abandon the ``futile pursuit'' of a military solution in Syria and lamented what he said were one-sided interests that had prevented a diplomatic end to the conflict. The Holy See and Russia underscored the urgency of the need to bring an end to the violence and to ensure necessary humanitarian assistance for Syrians, as well as to promote concrete initiatives for a peaceful solution to the conflict, favouring negotiation and involving the various ethnic and religious groups, recognizing their essential role in society.