Rome and Moscow find common cause

Two high-level meetings of Catholic and Orthodox representatives mark an intensification of mutual contacts, the Vatican and Moscow have stated, writes Josef Pazderka.

Last week Pope Francis met the top Russian Orthodox ecumenical official, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, in Rome and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill held a meeting with the Milan Archbishop, Cardinal Angelo Scola, in Moscow. Both encounters were part of an effort to smooth relations between the two Churches. At their Vatican meeting Pope Francis and Metropolitan Hilarion both stressed the importance of defending traditional family values as an important aspect of cooperation between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Holy See.

In Moscow, Orthodox Patriarch Kirill said it was time for greater openness, adding “never before have our Churches had so many things in common”. He also praised several recent statements of Pope Francis on crucial world issues such as civil war in Syria and the defence of the Christian faith in the Middle East. Patriarch Kirill added that the two Churches could work together on such themes. “We live in an era in which historical disagreements must cease to play a critical role, now we have many duties and purpose in common,” the Russian Orthodox Patriarch stated.

Cardinal Scola echoed those comments. “We have a common field of work,” he said and added that a kind of “ecumenism of people” begins to grow among the Catholic and Orthodox believers, as individuals look for similarities rather than differences among themselves.

The high-level Catholic-Orthodox meetings came shortly before Pope Francis is due to welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Vatican on Monday. According to some observers, Mr Putin’s visit could further accelerate the process of religious dialogue. However, Cardinal Scola shrugged off that theory. “We do not need political mediations,” he stated.