Metropolitan Kondrusiewicz: "With Benedict XVI, the Church has awakened to new life."
Moscow (AsiaNews) "The Church orphaned by the death of John Paul II, after a brief period of uncertainty, has woken up to a new life with the choice of the new Peter of our times." In a letter to the faithful of the archdiocese of the Virgin Mary in Moscow, the Metropolitan Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz welcomed the election of Benedict XVI "with joy and hope" in the name of all Russian Catholics.
According to the Metropolitan bishop of Moscow the rapid choice and agreement of the conclave confirms once again, after the death of John Paul II, the unity and cohesion of the universal church. "This is a reason for new joy and new hope for the Catholic Church and for the world," he said.
Kondrusiewicz defined Benedict XVI as a "new gift of God for his Church and for the world in these difficult times, full of dangers and challenges". According to the Metropolitan, the Church must now find the "treatment" for trends of secularization and relativism, against which the same Cardinal Ratzinger had already set himself. For this reason, continued Kondrusiewicz, all we people of God, under the leadership of Benedict XVI, must fight to create a new just world founded on Gospel principles and respect for life, and aimed at the unity of all mankind and Christians."
The Metropolitan invited the faithful to pray to the Lord so that the new pope may "strengthen our faith and Christian identity, teaching us to build the future on solid moral principles, to grow in love for our neighbour, to defend human rights, especially the right to freedom of worship and to life, to fight for social justice, peace and dialogue among peoples and religions."
Bishop Kondrusiewicz then emphasized the importance of "responding to the challenges posed by modernity and the hopes of people".
The Metropolitan invited the faithful to "be close to the pontiff with their prayers, their good intentions and Christian witness, so that right from the beginning, he may find the physical and spiritual force to carry the heavy Cross, which he has accepted to carry with humility."
"Remember," he added, "that this is also our Cross, the Cross of the Catholic Church in Russia."
"Russian Catholics welcome the pope as a very great gift, in the hope of being able to meet him in Russia, thus making the dream of his great predecessor to visit Moscow come true."
Alexei II, patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, and firm opponent of John Paul II's trip to Russia, today sent a message of congratulations to the new pontiff. In the message, the patriarch expressed hope that "a profitable dialogue will develop between Orthodox and Catholics, one of the most important objectives for the whole Christian world". Alexei II also invited the pope to "unite" the forces of the two Churches to spread Christian values: "A secularized world, which has lost its spiritual points of reference, has a strong need, now more than ever before, for our common witness."
On 23 April, in the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary in Moscow, a mass of thanksgiving for the appointment of the new pope will be held.
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