Moscow Metropolitan: "Encouraging" signs of dialogue with the Orthodox

Mgr Kondrusiewicz comments on latest developments in Moscow – Vatican relations and renews the pope's invitation to common witness against present-day challenges. To Orthodox and Catholic politicians, he says: "Defend Christian life and family values".

Moscow (AsiaNews) – There are "encouraging" signs of possible progress in dialogue between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate "on both inter-religious and political levels". This is what Moscow Metropolitan, Mgr Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, has to say about latest statements by Russia and the Vatican, which suggest a shift in chronically strained relations between the two Christian churches. He also invites followers of both confessions to "common Christian witness".

On 7 May, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, invited the Secretary for Relations with States, Mgr Giovanni Lajolo, to Moscow; at the same time, the Orthodox Patriarch of all Russia, Alexei II, is said to be intent upon his desire to collaborate with the Vatican to defend Christian values in Europe.

"Increasingly frequent bilateral contacts help to break the ice between Catholics and Orthodox and strengthen reciprocal faith," the Metropolitan told AsiaNews. "There is a need to at least meet and dialogue to eliminate accumulated problems, and lately, this need seems to have become more visible."

Kondrusiewicz highlighted the significance of two statements by Alexei II, which came out of his meeting with the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Pier Ferdinando Casini: that of "resisting together negative anti-Christian trends in the modern world" and that about "high hopes" the Orthodox Patriarch has of the new pope.

"For years, as Catholics, we have been underlining the need of shared witness to face in an effective way the challenges posed by contemporary secularization," he said. In this respect, the words of Alexei II are "encouraging".

However, a shared Christian testimony must be reflected even in moves made by politicians. Mgr Kondrusiewicz used as an example the "courage to defend Christian values" demonstrated by Rocco Buttiglione – currently Italian minister for Cultural Heritage – who "did not renounce his faith to follow a political career in the European Union".

The Metropolitan hopes that even "politicians of Orthodox faith will fight uncompromisingly for objectives and priorities outlined by the Church, "first and foremost defence of life and of the family". "On these points," said Kondrusiewicz, "the Vatican and Moscow are already united".

Commenting on the meeting of Lavrov with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Metropolitan emphasised the importance of collaboration to counter religious extremism: "We can do much working together, not only at a level of states, but also at an inter-confessional level". (MA-VK)

• RUSSIA
• VATICAN
• ECUMENISM
• ORTHODOX
• CHURCH
• CATHOLIC
• UNITY