Russians are coming, Russians are coming!

Pope–Putin summit comes during 'general warming of relations'

Russian President Vladimir Putin was 50 minutes late for his meeting with Pope Francis.

The Economist has published a frank look at current relations between the Vatican and Russia. The Vicar of Christ and Russian President Vladimir Putin met Nov. 25.

Over the Middle East, the convergence between the Kremlin and the Vatican is more substantial. In September, as Russia was about to convene a G20 summit, Pope Francis wrote to Mr. Putin appealing for an end to the carnage in Syria: "It is regrettable that from the very beginning one-sided interests have prevailed and hindered the search for a solution that would have avoided the senseless massacre..." Of course, that statement can be interpreted many ways; there may be a hint of rebuke for Russia's "one-sided" support for the Assad regime. But the Russian-brokered deal over chemical weapons will certainly have prompted sighs of relief in the Vatican.

Read the full article here.