His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II receives a large group of pilgrims from Italy

HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH ALEXY II RECEIVES A LARGE GROUP OF PILGRIMS FROM ITALY

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia met with participants in the pilgrimage to Russia organized by the popular Catholic Familia Christiana magazine, on September 3, 2002, at the Danilovsky hotel complex.

For 150 members of the pilgrim group including clergy and faithful of the Roman Catholic Church, a personal meeting with the Primate of the Russian Church was a crown of their impressive introduction to Russian spiritual traditions and venerated Orthodox shrines.

Welcoming the Italian pilgrims to the oldest monastery in Moscow, His Holiness spoke about the history of Orthodoxy in Russia, the hardships experienced and the feat of confession performed by the Russian Church in the 20th century as well as her today’s revival and active involvement in building the spiritual and moral foundations of Russian society today.

Speaking about the relations of the Moscow Patriarchate with the Vatican, His Holiness noted that the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue was not experiencing the best time. He set forth in detail the position of the Russian Orthodox Church on the whole range of disputed questions clouding relations between the two Churches and outlined his own vision of the ways of coming out of the present crisis through respecting the principles of mutual respect, taking into account each other’s interests in taking important decisions and keeping faithful to the spirit of Christian cooperation. This, in its turn, presupposes that the practice of Catholic proselytism in the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church should be abandoned and the inalienable rights of the Moscow Patriarchate’s flock in western Ukraine where it represents a religious minority should be respected.

At the same time the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church noted with satisfaction the continuing fruitful contacts of the Moscow Patriarchate with a whole number of Catholic dioceses, educational institutions, research centers and charitable organization which, in accordance with the traditions of Vatican II, continue to see in Orthodox believers their fellow brothers in Christ and spiritual children of a sister Church.

Patriarch Alexy welcomed the now popular practice of Catholics coming on pilgrimage to holy places in Russia. It allows them not only to see Russia’s sights with their own eyes but also come in touch with the great spiritual experience of Russian Orthodoxy and receive at first hand the witness to the life, faith and aspirations of the Orthodox Christians.

As a token of the Russian Orthodox Church’s openness and her invariable readiness for constructive and mutually respectful dialogue in the interests of Christian unity, His Holiness conveyed the text of his answers to the questions of Familia Christiana to the leader of the pilgrim group, Rev. Antonio Sciortino, who is editor-in-chief of the magazine. It will be published in one of the next issues of this Catholic edition with its millions-strong audience.

The remarks by the Primate were interrupted repeatedly by the Italian pilgrims’ applause.

Speaking on behalf of his fellow travelers, Father Antonio Sciortino warmly thanked the Primate of the Russian Church for the happy opportunity to open for themselves the great spiritual beauty of Orthodoxy. The Russian Church not only restores ruined churches but also works indefatigably to revive the spiritual and moral foundations of the life of her people, he said, adding, we believe that through the intercession of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the sins and ulcers of this age, which formerly blighted Western society and now threaten Russia, will be overcome. A reverential pilgrimage to Orthodox shrines in Russia as nothing else makes one convinced of not only the absolute value of both Christian traditions – Western and Eastern, but also of urgent need for their fraternal cooperation bringing the faithful of the both Churches to their common old spiritual source and root, Father Antinio said.

Present at the audience with the Italian pilgrims were also Archimandrite Alexy (Polikarpov) father superior of St. Daniel’s monastery, Protodeacon Vladimir Nazarkin, DECR protocol chief, Rev. Alexander Abramov and Ioann Lapidus of the DECR secretariat for inter-Christian relations, and Mr. V. Malushkhin, DECR communications director.