The rector of the Catholic Seminary announced the important reforms of Pope Francis

For quite a long time in office, Pope Francis has carried out many progressive reforms, including at the level of church legislation and church structures. The rector of the Catholic Theological Seminary in St. Petersburg, Monsignor Sergei (Timashov), told Izvestia about this on April 21.

"But first of all, it's probably a pastoral reform. He drew attention to it from the very beginning and consistently, throughout these 12 years, to the centrality of Christ, and not some cultural or ideological disputes in the preaching of the church, the activities of the church in the witness of the church," said Monsignor Sergei.

For the Catholic Church, the person of the Pope himself, by virtue of his ministry, is a sign of the unity of the Catholic Church.

"And in this sense, he is perceived as a "dad" and as a "father". Therefore, the loss of Pope [Francis] means that a huge Catholic family of billions has lost its father at the moment," said the rector of the seminary.

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Father Stefan (Igumnov), Secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations for Inter-Christian Relations, told Izvestia that the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) has extensive experience in interacting with the Catholic Church during the pontificate of the late Pope Francis. Many issues of humanitarian cooperation, peacemaking and joint response to the challenges facing the entire Christian world were on the current agenda of cooperation.

The death of Pope Francis at the age of 89 at his residence in the Vatican's Santa Marta House became known earlier on April 21. The last time he appeared in public was on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica during Easter celebrations the day before. The pontiff has been struggling with bilateral pneumonia for a long time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram of condolences on the occasion of the Pope's death. The Pontiff played an important role in the development of contacts between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, the head of state emphasized.