Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Meeting between Patriarch, Pope should not be result of opportunistic motives - Moscow Patriarchate

Brussels, April 29, Interfax - The Russian Orthodox Church says a meeting between Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Pope Benedict XVI should not be prompted by short-term opportunistic motives.

"It should not be a kind of show in front of TV cameras but should be a result of a very serious and thoughtful discussion on the existing problems, and this meeting should not serve as a trigger for their resolution but should be a result of serious consultations," Archpriest Antony Ilyin, an acting representative of the Moscow Patriarchate at European international organizations, said Interfax-Religion in commenting on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's remark that the Patriarch and the Pope could meet soon.

Fr. Antony suggested that now, unlike in the period at the end of Pope John Paul II's pontificate, "the understanding of importance of common testimony and strategic partnership in Europe in defending traditional values is growing from year to year."