Meeting between Alexy II and the new bishop of Moscow cancelled

by D. Dudochkin, A. Pirogov

It was supposed to take place today, but the Russian Orthodox patriarchate postponed it until a date yet to be determined. Disappointment among the Catholics, who had hoped for an opportunity to address in "a fraternal manner" some of the burning problems between the two sister Churches.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - There are disappointment and many questions among the Catholics in Russia following the cancellation of an anticipated encounter, scheduled for today, between the new bishop of the archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, and the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexy II. The postponement was announced by the patriarchate itself. It would have been the first meeting on this level between the two communities in more than 10 years.

The affair raises questions among the faithful, in part because it is added to the Church's failure to participate in the eighth national prayer breakfast, held yesterday in the capital. Catholic leaders did not provide any explanations for this. "We had great hope in this meeting [between the archbishop and the patriarch]", a priest in Moscow tells AsiaNews, "we hoped that it might be not simply a courtesy visit, but the chance for a fraternal and constructive discussion of the problems that concern our faithful". Among the most important questions at the moment, we recall: the request for support from the patriarch in resolving the problem of visas for foreign religious with the authorities; clarification of the positions expressed by Metropolitan Kirill and by Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria, on the abolition of the Catholic dioceses in Russia; the request to include the Catholic Church in the interreligious council of Russia (which includes Orthodox, Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists); discussing the possibility of collaborating on social and charitable projects.

Questions have been raised, finally, by Archbishop Pezzi’s decision not to be in Moscow for Easter. The prelate has decided to celebrate the feast in Kaliningrad, the westernmost city of the country. Some of the faithful note that it would be the first time since 1991 that the bishop has not been present in Moscow for the occasion. According to official sources, the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Mennini, will take Archbishop Pezzi's place at the Triduum services.

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