A possibility for a meeting between the Patriarch and the Pope was not discussed at the Orthodox-Catholic talks in Moscow

A POSSIBILITY FOR A MEETING BETWEEN THE PATRIARCH AND THE POPE WAS NOT DISCUSSED AT THE ORTHODOX-CATHOLIC TALKS IN MOSCOW

Contrary to the reports issued by some mass media, neither a possibility for a meeting between the Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia and the Pope John Paul II of Rome, nor a visit of Russian President Boris Yeltsin to Italy was discussed.
Given below is the text of a press-release approved by both delegations.

A regular biannual meeting between representatives of the Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate took place on 14-15 January 1998 in Moscow. The delegation were headed respectively by His Eminence Edward Idris Cardinal Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and His Eminence Kirill, Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The delegations considered the bilateral relations both on international and local level, including the situation in Russia and other CIS countries.

The sides stated in particular that, unfortunately, inter-confessional relations in western Ukraine had not changed for the better since the last bilateral meeting that took place in May 1997 in Bari, Italy.

It was agreed to undertake joint actions aimed at overcoming as soon as possible the difficulties that exist in relations between the Orthodox and the Greek Catholics in Ukraine.

It was acknowledged as desirable to continue considering the theological problems posed by the 1993 Balamand document on the level of the Orthodox Catholic dialogue in view of the criticism leveled at this document in both Churches.

The delegations considered among other things the attitude of the two Churches to the World Council of Churches and the ecumenical movement in general, relations between the Orthodox and the Catholics in Russia and other CIS countries and the approaching 2000th anniversary of Christianity.

On 15 January 1998, both delegations were received by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.