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Orthodox priest baptizes a child in Catholic orphanage - Interfax


Moscow, April 12, Interfax - Rev. Igor Vyzhanov, a secretary for interchristian relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for external church relations baptized a baby in the St. John Bosco Catholic orphanage in Moscow, a charity education center for children and youth.

The orphanage leaders invited the Orthodox priest, as the child has an Orthodox background, official web-site of the Moscow Patriarchate reported on Wednesday.

Last December members of the working group on the problems in Orthodox-Catholic relations agreed that children baptized as Orthodox and with Orthodox background who are raised in Catholic orphanages should attend Orthodox divine services and get Orthodox education and edification.

Deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for external church relations Rev. Vsevolod Chaplin and General secretary of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia Rev. Igor Kovalevsky co-chair the working group.

I think that this is good news.

Is this a step in the right direction?

Very good news!

Hopefully the gesture will be reciprocated in other parts of the world.

This is very good news. Up until now the Russian Church perceived the Catholics as wanting to proseletize the Orthodox...no doubt do to some over zealous followers of Fatima that probably misinterpreted our Lady's message.

That it be reciprocated is not important. What is important is for the Russian Church to start a dialogue. Of course inviting the Pope to Russia would be a start.

How awful that Pope John Paul II, who wanted so much to go to Russia and give his blessed kiss to the Russian land so that unity can be achieved, was not able to do so. But I do believe that saints achieve their goals after their death.

Zenovia

Dear Dr. Eric,

It is good news because it shows a good amount of cooperation and mutual respect. Russia's identity is fiercely Orthodox and there has been tension between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church there since the fall of communism. I am not going to say that the Orthodox Church has always acted in the best of ways towards the Roman Catholic Church, but one of the bones of great contention was the the Orthodox Church perceived the Catholic Church as prosletyzing. Call it misguided thinking, paranoia, or fear, but it existed. This step shows all good intentions from the Roman Catholic Church towards the sensitivities of the Orthodox Church.

I am starting to think that Moscow will someday become the pivotal area of reunion with Rome. I believe that Saint Padre Pio once predicted something to this effect, and all the news coming out of Interfax and Zenit recently are pointing in a good direction. After the cold heartedness of Patriarch Alexy towards Pope JPII, 'who would have thunk it?!?'

All things are possible with God!

Let us pray for unity!
In the Risen Christ,
Alice

The Russian Orthodox will someday warm up to better relations with the Holy See, when God wills it.

One cannot overlook Russian (pre-Communist) history and that of its neighbors - and other European nations - attacking Russia. As pointed out, Russia is Orthodox (whether or not everyone practices the faith) and Orthodox-Catholic tensions go back for centuries. It takes time for that to work itself out.

Dear Juan Diego,

All the many articles I read today out of Interfax News Service and Zenit News, are pointing in that very direction!

In Christ,
Alice

One of our local priests who is orthodox (not Big O) says that Alexei was/is a Communist. Is there any truth to that? Could this be why he wasn't so nice to John Paul II? Why is he more friendly to Benedict XVI, since he's German? Of course so were many of the Russian Empresses.

It's well known and documented that he was a star agent for the KGB (ref: C. Andrews and Vasili Mitrokhin, The Mitrokin Archive). All the bishops were to at least some degree; otherwise the Communists would not let them be elected. I'd imagine that they placed him on the Patriarchal throne because he had previously been so helpful to them.

Nevertheless, such cooperation was necessary for the Church's survival, and I'm not particularly upset about it. Remember, in a Communist society the Party and ideology pretends that its full control over the thought and lives of the populace is a necesity - and that it can PROVE this scientifically.

And it seems to me that he condemned Communism once it became safe to do so, calling it "a sickness on Russian society" and effectively "repenting" (for lack of a better word) in the early 1990s.

Dear Dr. Eric,

This may sound wierd, but from some of the comments he has made, I personally get the impression that Patriarch Alexei was just plain jealous of Pope JPII.

Looking at the lives of saints throughout history, we see jealousy in hierarchs towards good and holy people all the time.

Ofcourse it may have something to do with Pope JPII's extremely pivotal role in the fall of communism too. Let's not forget that Mikail Gorbachov visited the Vatican quite a few times to discuss politics with Pope JPII, and that he respected the Pope very much...(thus, perhaps jealousy AND politics overlapped in forming Patriarch Alexei's seemingly personal dislike of JPII).

We will never know, but personalities don't matter in the greater scheme of unity and cooperation. No one will EVER deny that Pope John Paul II laid down the foundation for this blessed goal. May his memory be eternal.

In the Risen Christ,
Alice

I am starting to think that Moscow will someday become the pivotal area of reunion with Rome. I believe that Saint Padre Pio once predicted something to this effect, and all the news coming out of Interfax and Zenit recently are pointing in a good direction. After the cold heartedness of Patriarch Alexy towards Pope JPII, 'who would have thunk it?!?'
Padre Pio once had a prophesy that Russia would come into communion with the Church of Rome.
This would be interesting if they were to lead the others of Orthodox into communion with Rome.
Stephanos I

Christos voskrese!

A few years back, Fr. Chris Zugger, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Albuquerque penned a book titled "The Forgotten: Catholics of the Soviet Empire from Lenin Through Stalin." The book offers a very interesting account of the Soviet government's dealings with both the Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, Orthodox Churches.

In short, COOPERATION was the norm between RC and EO Churches during the time of Lenin. Lenin saw all religion as "the opiate of the people." But his efforts to quelch it never came to fruition. It was when Stalin came to power that he saw the advantage of pitting one Church against another. This tactic seemed to work better, and although he didn't wipe out religion in the U.S.S.R., he did contribute significantly to the bitter and sometimes hostile feelings between the Churches.

Father's book is available thru Amazon.

Again... excellent read.

Voistinnu voskrese!

They were very good at pitting all sorts of groups against each other and it worked well for them. Drawing up boarders that either left people out or put other people inside their republics. just so they might never unite against them. It is blowing up all over the place. Churches and peoples are still playing that game, only the communists have gone. They behave like they are from disfunctional families caught up in the dynamics of an abusive household. It is not so easy to break the cycle and break free.

ICXC
NIKA

Dear Alice you said:
I say:

I think there is a little more to it. At the time the Soviet Union fell, and Russia opened up, it was swarmed with every denomination imaginable. To the Russians this became an insult, since it was an affront on their religious heritage and traditions. That these people were coming with the intent of edifying the Russian people, never entered their mind.

Well, the Catholics that came with the belief that the message of Fatima was to place Russia under the Pope didn't help relations either. :rolleyes:

Russia began to close it's doors to all this religious proslityzing, and started making demands of the RCC...which Pope John Paul II ignored, and rightfully so. For someone, and that means anyone including the Evangelicals, to stop evangelizing the people for any reason, is a no, no...especially when we consider the great comission.

Pope Benedict XVI is a new Pope, and it is a new era and a new start. By allowing a child to be baptized Orthodox in a Catholic orphanage, is a sign that the Catholics are not trying to poach the Orthodox.

I also think that Alexius realizes that Pope JOhn Paul II was certainly a saint...considering the crowds throughout the world that came to his funeral. Now that certainly must have led to his 'metanoia', (repentance) of his actions.

Zenovia

You certainly bring up a valid point there. History has much to do with culture. Russia has been alternately rejected, used, and attacked by the West. Certainly overtures from the Pope of Rome, in the West, will be viewed with some caution.

Also, I think Rome hasn't quite done the job it could have of being more honest and rejecting the mistakes of the past. They've made a start, but when they make a more concerted effort, it will put a lot of pressure upon others to be willing to really talk about working through old differences.

Among its own, the ROC and ROCOR have their own issues, which they have to work out as well. They seem to be doing that, and some of how they approach this may provide some insight as to how West and East can deal with these problems and move forward.