Cardinal differences

The hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican have different assessments of the chances of a meeting between the pontiff and the patriarch

Two mutually exclusive statements regarding the prospects for a historic meeting between the heads of the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches were made by representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Vatican. The head of the Pontifical Council for Culture and Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Paul Poupart, spoke in the spirit that the issue of a meeting of the heads of the two largest Christian denominations was practically resolved, and Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad almost immediately denied this, explaining that there would be an imminent personal meeting between the Pope and the Patriarch of Moscow and there is no need to wait for all of Rus'. It is noteworthy that both versions were heard at the same time and in the same place - at the international conference “Christianity, Culture, Moral Values”, organized in Moscow under the auspices of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Let us remember that conversations about direct contact between the pontiff and the patriarch have been going on for at least ten years. In 1997, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was offered very specific dates for a meeting with the predecessor of the current Pope, John Paul II, at an international religious conference in Vienna. Then the Orthodox side rejected this possibility, but now, as Cardinal Poupard assured, “we are closest to such a possibility.” The representative of the Holy See confidently stated that “there is very little time left” before the meeting of Benedict XVI with Alexy II, since numerous contacts between the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican have long prepared the ground for this event.

“Today, the issue of the Pope’s visit to Moscow is not on the agenda,” said Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, in turn. The head of the DECR called information about imminent negotiations between the heads of the two churches rumors that do not correspond to reality. “It’s hard to say where they came from,” Bishop Kirill expressed bewilderment. “Maybe someone really wants them to be.” It is worth noting that the Vatican has high hopes for the mission of Cardinal Poupard and the Council for Culture and Interreligious Dialogue he heads. At the end of May, by decision of Benedict XVI, the status of the council was upgraded - this structure became a separate division of the papal curia. The main direction of the council's activities is to intensify contacts with other religions (primarily Islam) and Christian denominations (primarily Russian Orthodoxy).

“By and large, there is no contradiction in the statements,” said DECR Deputy Chairman Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin in a conversation with a Vremya Novostei correspondent. According to him, the possibility of an interfaith summit exists, but it should be a decisive step in overcoming the problems that currently stand between the two churches. “We are talking about the missionary work of Catholics among Orthodox people by baptism and by roots, and about a problem that is becoming increasingly acute today - the expansion of Uniatism in a number of regions of the former Soviet Union,” explained Fr. Vsevolod. The Russian Orthodox Church believes that in addition to supporting the Uniate Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine, the Vatican is engaged in proselytism in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Until Catholic expansion in the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church is suspended, there can be no talk of any large-scale contacts. “The meeting should mean resolving these problems, and while the discussion on these issues continues, no specific plans are being discussed,” concluded Fr. Vsevolod Chaplin.

The possibility of negotiations on neutral territory is also not being considered. For example, a recent proposal by the head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, to hold negotiations on the island was rejected. “Despite difficult relations, we have a direct dialogue with the Vatican. And we believe it is inappropriate to involve additional participants in this dialogue,” Bishop Mark of Yegoryevsky, DECR Deputy Chairman, explained the decision of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Mikhail MOSHKIN