“Russian
Orthodox: Ready
for Change in Ties With Catholic
Church”
(“Zenit.org,” September
9, 2003)
A representative of
the
Moscow Patriarchate said that the time has come for a change in the
relations
between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
On Monday, Metropolitan Kyrill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad addressed the
meeting "Men and Religions," organized in Aachen by the
Community of
Sant'Egidio in collaboration with the local archdiocese. The three-day
event,
which ended today, attracted 500 religious leaders.
The head of the Foreign Relations Department of the Moscow Patriarchate
spoke
during a discussion entitled "Catholics and Orthodox: The Challenge
of
Ecumenism." Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical
Council
for Promoting Christian Unity, also participated in the discussion.
"The time has arrived to change the present difficult situation
between
the Orthodox Church of Moscow and the Catholic Church," Metropolitan
Kyrill said.
"Moscow is ready to discuss; the issues are on the table," he
said.
"Once these difficulties are surmounted, the meeting between the Pope
and
the patriarch of Moscow will serve to turn definitively the difficult page
of
the past."
On this occasion, he avoided the use of the world "proselytism"
-- a
term often used in Orthodox circles to describe the Catholic Church's
activity
in former Soviet lands.
Instead, the metropolitan referred to "missionary competition,"
and
related it to "the ideology of the free market of religions."
For his part, Cardinal Kasper explained that the significant presence of
Catholics, especially those of the Eastern rite, in areas such as Ukraine
is
not due to "a movement organized by the Vatican," but rather is
a
reflection of grass-roots spirituality.
In regard to John Paul II's possible visit to Russia, the metropolitan
said:
"His trip to Moscow represents a historic event, which must be
properly
prepared." He added: "The Pope's visits to countries of Orthodox
tradition have had a positive meaning."
Metropolitan Kyrill also said he believes that "ecumenism has met
with a
dead end."
The ecumenical movement "has become the hostage of humanist
secularism
which has entered to a great extent in the churches of the West," he
contended.
"If we want the rebirth of ecumenism, we must change our attitude and
put
the defense of Christian values in contemporary society at the center of
our
concerns," the Russian representative added.
Cardinal Kasper acknowledged: "We can learn much from the East, which
can
be for us a valid counterweight given the danger of sliding into
theological
secularism."
Russian Orthodox and Catholics agree that the European Constitution, now
being
revised, should mention the continent's Christian
roots.
|
