Pope Francis has invited Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to hold a meeting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in late November or early December, Leonid Sevastyanov, the chairman of the Russia-based World Union of Old Believers, who keeps in regular touch with the pontiff, told Sputnik on Thursday.
"The Pope has invited the patriarch to join him in the Emirates. But the decision whether or not to accept the invitation is up to the patriarch," Sevastyanov said.
Pope Francis is scheduled to attend the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai from December 1-3, and will be in Abu Dhabi a day earlier. The Russian cleric added that Patriarch Kirill could join the pontiff and arrange a meeting in Abu Dhabi or Dubai on December 1 or November 30.