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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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Rome, Jun. 2, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, has assured Russian Orthodox leaders that the Catholic Church does not intend plan to exclude the Moscow patriarchate from ecumenical dialogue.
Returning from a visit to Moscow, where he had met with Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II, Cardinal Kasper told reporters in Rome that the Holy See looks forward to further progress in dealings with Moscow. The cardinal, who avoided any concrete predictions about the next steps in ecumenical dialogue, portrayed his visit to Russia as an effort to become better acquainted with the regular life of the Russian Orthodox faithful.
The Interfax news service reported that before leaving Moscow, the cardinal had promised that the Vatican would not resume theological talks with Orthodox churches without including Russian Orthodox representatives. The Moscow patriarchate pulled out of the most recent session of Catholic-Orthodox talks, held in October 2007 in Ravenna, Italy, to protest the seating of delegates from the Estonian Orthodox Church, which Moscow does not recognize.
Cardinal Kasper told an audience in Moscow that the dispute over the Estonian delegation was an "inter-Orthodox affair," involving a disagreement between the patriarchates of Moscow and Constantinople. The Vatican will not interfere in that dispute, he said, but hopes for a compromise that will allow the joint Catholic-Orthodox commission to continue its work.
Upon his return to Rome the cardinal told Vatican that his talks with Patriarch Alexei had been "very positive, very constructive," and he saw a "new phase" opening in relations between Rome and Moscow.
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Milan, Jun. 2, 2008 (CWNews.com) - "Do not leave us isolated and abandoned," an Iraqi bishop pleaded as he accepted an award for defending the faith.
Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk received the Defensor Fidei prize in Milan for his activities on behalf of Iraq's embattled Christian minority. In his acceptance speech he urged international pressure on Iraq to protect Christians in the face of Islamic pressure, the AsiaNews service reported. The Chaldean Catholic prelate said that the Church is Iraq is threatened by a "terminal exodus" of Christians, as the result of "ethnic-religious cleansing" by Muslim zealots. He begged Christians in the Western world to "take stock of the seriousness" of the situation, and "apply diplomatic and political pressure to the United States, the Iraqi government, and also to the countries that support the Islamization of Iraq."
Archbishop Sako spoke at length about the Christians who have fled from Iraq and now live, often under desperate conditions, in neighboring countries. After centuries of faithful witness in Iraq, he said, the Christian presence must be preserved.
[For a more detailed account see the AsiaNews web site.]
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VATICAN CITY, 30 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father has written a Message to His Holiness Alexis II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, delivered by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, during a meeting with the Patriarch.
In the text of his English-language Message, the Pope writes that the cardinal's visit to Russia "offers me a welcome opportunity to extend my cordial greetings, to express my esteem for your ministry in the Russian Orthodox Church and to restate my appreciation for your commitment to fostering relations between Catholics and Orthodox".
"It is with joy", the Holy Father adds, "that I reflect on the experience of growing closeness between us, accompanied by the shared desire to promote authentic Christian values and to witness to our Lord in ever deeper communion. I think with gratitude of the recent visit of Your Holiness to Strasbourg and Paris, and the warm welcome given to the Catholic archbishop of the archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow during the Christmas celebrations last year.
"Another sign of fraternity and friendship towards the Catholic Church is to be seen in the invitation extended to Cardinal Kasper by His Eminence Kirill, metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, president of the Department for External Church Affairs of the Patriarchate of Moscow, to visit that eparchy on the occasion of his name-day. This is not only a sign of personal goodwill, but also a gesture towards the Catholic Church which Cardinal Kasper represents".
"During his time in Russia", writes the Pope, "Cardinal Kasper will visit Kazan to venerate the icon of the Mother of God which my beloved predecessor, Pope John Paul II, conveyed to Your Holiness through the good offices of Cardinal Kasper. ... This icon bears a likeness to all the other venerable icons of the Mother of God. ... It also offers an opportunity for encounter with Muslims, who show great respect for Mary, the Mother of God".
The Pope notes haw the Russian Patriarch "has been increasingly committed to dialogue with other Christians and the members of other religions" and reaffirms his own "deep gratitude" for, and "prayerful interest" in, "the signs of friendship and trust which your Church and its representatives have demonstrated in various ways".
Reiterating his gratitude to Alexis II for his dialogue "with different ecclesial, religious and social bodies", Benedict XVI concludes: "May the Risen Saviour grant you health, peace and inner joy, and may he bring us closer to each other, that we may undertake together our journey towards full communion in Him".
BXVI-MESSAGE/.../ALEXIS IIVIS 080530 (440)
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The following day of their departure, the Archbishop and members of the delegation were received at two of the most important monasteries in Moscow, the Danilov and the Donskoy. The Danilov, or St. Daniel Monastery, is the oldest in Moscow (see website at http://www.msdm.ru/eng/index.htm). The Archbishop was welcomed by the Abbot of the Monastery, Archimandrite Alexy, and given a tour of the Monastery Churches. Following this visit, the delegation departed the hotel for the Donskoy Monastery, which houses the relics of the Patriarch of Moscow, Saint Tikhon, who was at one time the Russian Orthodox Primate of North America (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikhon_of_Moscow).
The Archbishop and delegation, accompanied by clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate, were received with flowers by Bishop Alexander of Mitrof, and the Abbot together with Hieromonks. The Archbishop was escorted into the main church, where a special Service of Thanksgiving was chanted before the relics of St. Tikhon. Following the service, the Archbishop was led on a tour of the famous Donskoy Monastery Cemetery, which includes 19th century tombs of Pontian Greeks, as well as a few examples of the original monumental statuary that survived the destruction of Christ the Savior Cathedral.
Following the tour of the Donskoy Monastery, the Archbishop was accompanied to the airport by Bishop Alexander and representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate.
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
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Welcoming his guest Patriarch Alexy noted that Cardinal Kasper’s unofficial visit had as its aim to come to a deeper knowledge of the life of the Russian Orthodox Church and the country. ‘You visited several dioceses of our Church, those of Smolensk, Kazan and Nizhniy Novgorod. In Kazan you saw a copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which Pope John Paul II handed over to the Russian Orthodox Church in 2004. In the Diveyevo Monastery of St. Seraphim you venerated the honorable relics of St. Seraphim, our great saint’, the patriarch said adding that kind interest to each other’s traditions and shrines helped to promote good relations between the two Churches.
He also stressed the need for Orthodox-Catholic dialogue. It is based on the positions the two Churches share on many problems that the world poses for Christianity today in such spheres as morality, social and family relations, human rights, and bioethics. ‘Our dialogue should lead to the development of Orthodox-Catholic cooperation in defending and preaching traditional Christian values before the secular world’, he said.
Cardinal Kasper cordially thanked His Holiness for the warm welcome accorded him by the Russian Orthodox Church and stressed the need for mutual understanding and dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Moscow Patriarchate. He conveyed to His Holiness a personal letter from Pope Benedict XVI.
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They visited the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St.Sergius, the Moscow theological schools, and the ‘Sofrino’ artistic production of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Archbishop Demetrios and other clergymen concelebrated the Divine liturgy with Patriach Alexy in the Cathedral of Assumption of the Mother of God in the Moscow Kremlin on the commemoration day of Ss.Cyril and Methodios Equal-to-the-Apostles. After the liturgy a reception was given in St.Daniel’s monastery in Moscow.
On Sunday, May 25, the guests were prayed at the Divine liturgy in the Cathedral Christ the Savior. Archbishop Arseny of Istra heartily greeted Archbishop Demetrios and others on behalf of Patriarch Alexy.
Archbishop Demetrios shared his joy of praying in the revived cathedral and reminded that he had participated in the consecration of the cathedral eight years ago as head of the Patriarchate of Constantinople delegation at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. Archbishop Demetrios noted that the Russian Orthodox Church had done great work for the revival of spiritual life in Russia.
On that same day the delegation met with the chairman of the Department for external church relations of Moscow Patriarchate (DECR) Metropolitan Kirill.
On May 26, the delegation visited St.Alexy’s hospital in Moscow. In the hospital’s church of St.Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, the guests were met by archpriest Arkady Shatov, chairman of Charity Committee at the Moscow diocesan council.
Archbishop Demetrios thanked Father Arkady. The treasure of the Women’ charitable institution of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Ms. Aphrodite Arey spoke about her organization and gave a donation for the needs of the hospital.
Archpriest Arkady Shatov noted that the death rate of patients reduced twice since the Russian Orthodox Church took patronage under the hospital. Archbishop Demetios said that such tremendous results had been achieved through the good care for both the body and soul of the patients. The American guests were interested in public health services in Russia and in pastoral ministry of the Russian Orthodox Church in hospitals. Archbishop Demetrios also asked about the position of the Moscow Patriarchate on bioethics.
The delegation met with Ms. Lubov Sliska, deputy chairman of the State Duma and discussed the significance of the restoration of unity between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Archbishop Demetrios noted particular spirituality of the Russian people. Ms. Sliska underscored that this year marks the 1020th of the Baptism of Russia, the event that has laid the foundation of Christian culture and statehood in Russia. They also discussed the religious situation in Russia, in the USA, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Ukraine. Ms. Sliska said that the church unity was very important for peace and accord in society.
Archbishop Demetrios hoped that this visit would help the development of good relations between Russia and the USA. ‘I have visited many official places in the world, and not only in the USA. But here in Russia, among our Orthodox brothers and sisters, we experience particular feelings not only in churches but also in the high state institution.’
In the evening the delegation visited the Hall of Church Assemblies in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where a ceremony of handing the Ss. Cyril and Methodius International prize took place. Archbishop Demetrios greeted Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia and the prize winners.
On May 27, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia received the delegation in his residence in St.Daniel’s monastery.
That same day. the guests met with the mayor of Moscow Jury Luzhkov. He noted the development of relations between Moscow and the Greek Orthodox Church and the aid that Moscow renders to the monastic community on the Holy Mountain of Athos.
‘We remember where from Orthodoxy has come to us’, Jury Luzhkov said. He thinks that Orthodoxy is the main moral power of Russian society and the number of believers is increasing. The mayor mentioned wisdom and activity of Patriarch Alexy and his role in the revival of spiritual life in Russia. Jury Luzhkov said that there were no religious conflicts in Moscow. At the meeting were present deputy mayor Valery Vinogradov, chairman of the department for external relations of Moscow Georgy Muradov, and the DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations archpriest Nikolai Balashov.
On May 28, the delegation visited St.Daniel’s monastery, prayed the shrines, and sang church hymns in the Greek language. The abbot of the monastery, archimandrite Alexy (Polikarpov) told the guests about its history and present life.
Archbishop Demetrios and his suite also visited the Donskoy monastery where they prayed at the shrine with the relics of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
That same day the delegation of the Greek Archdiocese in America left Moscow. While in Russia the guests were accompanied by the DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations archpriest Nikolai Balashov, and the DECR staff member A. Churjakov.