Pope Francis said he told the head of the Russian Orthodox Church to remember his Christian mission and not kowtow to domestic politics and cower to President Vladimir Putin when the two spoke in March, the Washington Post reports.

Francis said he had a 40-minute conversation over Zoom with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, a vocal supporter of Putin and someone who has supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  “I listened and then told him: I don’t understand anything about this,” Francis said. “Brother, we are not state clerics, we cannot use the language of politics but that of Jesus. We are pastors of the same holy people of God. Because of this, we must seek avenues of peace, to put an end to the firing of weapons.”

The Russian Orthodox Church said Kirill had reached out to the Pope in March to explain the patriarch’s pro-invasion perspective and that Kirill was disappointed Francis chose to share the content of their conversation.  Kirill cited sketchy reports of Russian speakers in Ukraine being attacked prior to the invasion.

“It’s regrettable that a month and a half after the conversation with Patriarch Kirill, Pope Francis chose the wrong tone to convey the content of this conversation,” a statement from the church said.

Kirill held a service for Russian military members at a military cathedral, saying in his sermon their actions in Ukraine is “an active manifestation of evangelical love for neighbors.”  Russian soldiers and leaders have been accused of various war crimes, including attacking and torturing civilians in Ukraine.