Pope meets with Russian Orthodox official, Vatican says ties improved
(September 19, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI met with a key official of the Russian Orthodox
Church amid signs of a significant improvement in relations. The Vatican provided
no details of the pope's encounter Sept. 18 with Russian Orthodox Archbishop Hilarion,
president of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations. The
private meeting took place at the pope's summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. Archbishop
Hilarion was in Rome for five days of meetings and talks with Vatican officials and
Catholic groups, at the invitation of Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican's chief
ecumenist. Speaking to Vatican Radio September 17, Cardinal Kasper said the church's
relations with the Russian Orthodox have improved appreciably under Pope Benedict,
and that the Moscow patriarchate was expected to participate in a major dialogue session
with the Vatican in mid-October. "Pope Benedict is highly regarded by the Russian
Orthodox Church for his moral positions and also because he doesn't take into account
political correctness. They esteem him highly, and this helps our relations," said
Cardinal Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.