So, my gentle readers, please allow me to flash back to a recent news story that I intended to discuss, but travel got in the way. This was a story that may or may not have been important, but we really don’t know because it centered on a private meeting between Pope Francis and a very symbolic Russian Orthodox leader.

Why to I say that Metropolitan Hilarion of Budapest is a highly”symbolic” Orthodox leader, especially at this point in the hellish conflict between Russia and Ukraine?

To explain my use of “symbolic,” we need to look at the Associated Press story that ran with this headline: “Pope in Hungary meets with Ukrainian refugees, Russian envoy.”

Ah, but was Metropolitan Hilarion a “Russian envoy,” in this case? Hold that thought, because things get more complex in the AP lede:

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Pope Francis plunged into both sides of Russia’s war with Ukraine on Saturday, greeting some of the 2.5 million Ukrainian refugees who have fled across the border to Hungary during a public prayer service and then meeting privately with an envoy of the Russian Orthodox Church that has strongly supported the war.

First, an important point of grammar in the final clause of that sentence, as in “meeting privately with an envoy of the Russian Orthodox Church that has strongly supported the war.” I added the bold italics, stressing that this is “that,” rather than “who.”

As we will see, it appears that the AP team covering this event knew little or nothing about the recent personal history of Hilarion. Then again, AP may have — for for some reason — chosen to omit interesting and potentially important information.

Hold that thought (again), as we read some material that appears later in this story:

Immediately after greeting and encouraging the refugees, Francis … met with the Russian Orthodox Church’s representative in Hungary, Metropolitan Hilarion, who developed close relations with the Vatican during his years as the Russian church’s foreign minister. The Vatican said the 20-minute meeting at the Holy See’s embassy in Budapest was “cordial.”

The Russian church’s strong support for the Kremlin’s war has rankled the Vatican and prevented a second papal meeting with Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Francis and Kirill had a 2016 encounter in Cuba that marked the first between a pope and the head of the Russian church. They had planned a second one in June, but the meeting has been indefinitely postponed over Kirill’s support for the war.

In a statement, Hilarion’s office said that he briefed Francis on the social and educational activities of the Russian church in Hungary and its relations with the Catholic Church here. He said that he gave the pope an Italian translation of a six-volume opus on the life of Christ.

OK, here is the crucial question: What is Metropolitan Hilarion doing in Budapest, leading a tiny flock of Russian Orthodox believers there?

Why ask? Hilarion was, at one time, arguably the second most visible and powerful leader in the Russian Orthodox Church. This is the kind of man, at his relatively young age, who is mentioned as a potential patriarch.

Maybe the New York Times has a clue? Consider this byte from “Pope Reveals He’s Working on Secret ‘Mission’ of Peace in Ukraine.”

The pope’s remarks to reporters aboard the papal plane returning from a three-day trip to Budapest did not specify what the “not yet public” mission entailed. But Francis said he had privately discussed the situation with both Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary and with the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Budapest, Metropolitan Hilarion.

“In these meetings we did not just talk about Little Red Riding Hood,” Francis said. “We spoke of all these things. Everyone is interested in the road to peace.”

Once again, what is Hilarion doing in Budapest, in the context of the bitter fighting in Ukraine? Is he there as some kind of “representative of the Russian Orthodox Church” in that land?

The short answer: “No.”

(Updated) The following video of a statement by Metropolitan Hilarion has been updated — to a version of the talk with English subtitles.

Let’s keep hunting. As is often the case, these days, it helps to turn to “religious” news publications. Read the following, from a Catholic News Service feature:

Metropolitan Hilarion responded in a video message the next day, "There was nothing concerning bilateral relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. No political issues were discussed. The meeting was of a personal nature between two old friends."

Pope Francis also told reporters flying back to Rome from Hungary with him that except for one Zoom conversation in March 2022, his only contact with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow -- a strong defender of the war on Ukraine -- has been through Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, who succeeded Metropolitan Hilarion as head of external church relations for the Moscow Patriarchate.

Three days later, Metropolitan Anthony was at Pope Francis' weekly general audience and was seen speaking to him.

Once again, why was Hilarion removed from his high-profile work as the Russian church’s head of ecumenical contacts for, well, Planet Earth?

Well, the EuroTopics website notes the following, from the Czech newspaper Lidové noviny :

The Orthodox bishop headed the foreign department of the Moscow Patriarchate, and was responsible for spreading the ideology of the 'Russian world' ... This idea served as a pretext for Putin to invade Ukraine.

However, Hilarion indirectly opposed the invasion as it progressed, lost his post and was banished to Budapest. If the Pope were to meet with him or even exchange a few words, that would be a great gesture on Francis's part.

In other words, we have a brief glimpse of a reality that I have never seen mentioned in mainstream press coverage of the Ukraine conflict and, to be specific, the current state of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Yes, Patriarch Kirill has consistently defended the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the invasion has been rejected by the larger Orthodox world, including the historic — and now oppressed — Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Now, have there been signs that some priests and any bishops have expressed their opposition, in quiet ways that do not directly attack their patriarch?

Yes, starting with Metropolitan Hilarion’s exile in Budapest. Here is some additional material from the Jesuit publication America, in a piece with this headline: “Pope Francis’ secret Ukraine-Russia peace mission, explained.” Feel free to read between the lines:

In Budapest, Pope Francis received Metropolitan Hilarion in a 20-minute private audience. Hilarion had been Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate from 2009 to 2022 when he was demoted and reassigned to Budapest in June 2022, allegedly for his opposition to the war. Hilarion was succeeded by Antony. Francis has known Hilarion since 2013, they have met many times and on the plane he said: “Hilarion is someone I respect very much, and we have always had a good relationship. And he was kind enough to come and see me [in Budapest], then he came to the Mass, and I saw him here at the airport as well. Hilarion is an intelligent person with whom one can talk, and these relationships need to be maintained, because if we talk about ecumenism — I like this, I don't like this — we must have an outstretched hand with everyone, even receive their hand.” 

Asked if he had talked about peace with Orbán and Hilarion, Francis said, in the meeting “We talked about all these things. We talked about this because everyone is interested in the road to peace. I am willing. I am willing to do whatever needs to be done. Also, there is a mission going on now, but it is not public yet. Let's see how. ... When it is public I will talk about it.”

Hilarion’s position is delicate, and in response to speculation in the media, he made clear on his website portal “there was nothing [at the meeting with Francis] concerning bilateral relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. No political issues were discussed. The meeting was of a personal nature between two old friends.”

In conclusion: Was it enough for AP to call Metropolitan Hilarion the “Russian Orthodox Church’s representative in Hungary” and leave it at that?

Only if the current AP team does not include anyone who has followed events in the Russian Orthodox Church.

As for me, I will continue — as an Orthodox layman — to pray for a ceasefire and peace talks.

FIRST IMAGE: Social media image, from Vatican News report.