Russian Patriarch tells papal envoy: together we can avert 'negative political developments'

The head of Russia's Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, told an envoy of Pope Francis on Thursday that their churches should work together to avert "negative political developments and serve the cause of peace and justice".

Kirill, a strong supporter of President Vladimir Putin's decision to send troops into Ukraine, was speaking to the papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi during talks in Moscow.