Pope Francis spoke to a senior member of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) on Wednesday, days after the pontiff made intriguing but confusing comments about the Vatican’s involvement with the mission of ending the war in UkraineReuters reports.

Metropolitan (Bishop) Antony, number two of the Russian Orthodox Church, was welcomed to Francis’ general audience in St. Peter’s Square, and then they had a short chat at the end.

As he returned Sunday night from a trip to Hungary, a reporter asked Francis if Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Moldovan officials could speed up the peace process in Ukraine and arrange a meeting between the Pope and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The mission is being carried out now, but it has not been made public yet. When it is made public, I will reveal it,” the Pope replied.

Francis added that he spoke about Ukraine with Orbán and Metropolitan Hilarion, the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Budapest and Antony’s predecessor as head of the Church’s external relations.

But his words seem to have caught both Kyiv and Moscow by surprise, both saying they know nothing about any papal peace initiative.

Since then, neither the Pope nor the press service of the Vatican have clarified the comments.

Anthony had meetings with other Vatican officials, but it was unclear whether he would have a private audience with the pope during his visit to Rome.

86-year-old Francis previously stated that he wants to visit Kyiv and Moscow on a peaceful mission.