2011-03-18 15:32:05

Vatican's ecumenism chief meets Russian Orthodox head


(March 18, 2011) On his first official trip to Russia, the Vatican’s top ecumenical official held talks with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow on Wednesday on "major areas of cooperation" between the two Churches. Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia reviewed issues under discussion by the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue. The Moscow Patriarchate issued a note saying that despite theological difference, both the Churches can now cooperate in areas of agreement, such as the defence of traditional Christian values in Europe, advocacy of the Christian position in the socio-economic sphere and in the ethics of scientific research and bioethics. The patriarch and the cardinal noted an escalation of anti-Christian sentiments in the world, including in Christian countries of Europe. Patriarch Kirill expressed his esteem for Pope Benedict who, he said, defends the Christian tradition in spite of sometime sharp criticism from liberal circles.







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