Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences in connection with the death of Pope Francis. On Monday, on April 21, the Kremlin press service in the telegram channel reports.
The Head of State noted that the Pope Francis enjoyed great international authority and called him a faithful minister of Christian teachings, a wise religious and statesman, a consistent defender of the high values of humanism and justice.
During all the years of his pontificate, he actively contributed to the development of dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, as well as constructive interaction between Russia and the Holy See, Putin noted.
“I had a chance to communicate with this outstanding person, and I will forever preserve the brightest memory of him,” said the head of the Russian state.
Pope Francis died after a “protracted asthma -like respiratory crisis,” the Vatican said on Monday, April 21. It is noted that the 88-year-old pontiff also suffered from anemia.
Francis was born on December 17, 1936 in the capital of Argentina Buenos Aires in a family of Italian emigrants. He was educated in Argentina, then studied in Germany.
In 1969, he was ordained the rank of Jesuit priest. The ten-year stay of Pope Francis at the head of the Roman Catholic Church caused both admiration and conflicting discussions.
Francis sought to reform the bureaucratic system, fight corruption and solve the most acute and oldest problems of the Vatican.