Francis ‘must meet Kirill before Moscow visit’

The head of Russia’s Catholic Church has said the Pope must first hold direct talks with Orthodox Patriarch Kirill before he makes any visit to the country, writes Jonathan Luxmoore. “He can gladly come, but only with Orthodox approval,” Archbishop Paolo Pezzi told Spain’s Efe news agency. “A meeting on neutral territory should take place at the right time first in Italy – Rome or some other important Christian site. Both parties agree this should provide a boost to full dialogue. We’re determining which topics should be covered.”

The archbishop, who heads the Catholic Church’s Moscow-based Mother of God Archdiocese, was speaking amid speculation about a possible Pope-Patriarch meeting, following President Vladimir Putin’s 25 November Vatican visit. He said Francis had shown “much interest” and proved “surprisingly familiar” with Russia during recent talks. However, he added that Mr Putin had not officially invited the Pope to Russia, in recognition that “there should first be an agreement between the two Churches”.

“We have the same faith and the same God – that’s the most important thing,” the Italian-born Mgr Pezzi said. “But there are differences over dogmas and mysteries - not obstacles, but things that need clarification. The big issue remains the Roman Pope’s jurisdiction.”

The secretary general of Russia’s Bishops’ Conference, Mgr Igor Kovalevsky, told The Tablet: “We now have many common objectives, from preventing persecution of Christians in the Middle East to defending the fundamental values of contemporary civilisation, but … work is also needed to tackle internal problems within the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, and this can only be done by the Churches themselves.”