His Holiness Patriarch Alexy meets with the Romanian minister of foreign affairs

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia met with the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu and other Romanian officials on October 12, 2005, at the patriarchal residence in St. Daniel’s Monastery.

Addressing the minister, Patriarch Alexy said in particular, ‘We understand the desire of Romania to join the European Union. This organization includes today a variety of nations with different faiths and cultures. But the walls of the common European home should not become a ‘melting pot of civilizations’. I believe the Orthodox heritage of the Romanian people will occupy an appropriate place in the European cultural mosaic and the voice of Orthodox Christians will be heard in the EU’.

Mr. Ungureanu noted that ‘the EU is not only the West. Europe consists of the two parts: East and West, and the fellowship of Orthodox Churches in Europe not only has a spiritual importance, but also makes an influence on the policy of the European Union’.

The topics discussed also included the revival experienced by both the Russian and Romanian Orthodox Churches and the established practice of cooperation between the Orthodox Church and the state in socially significant initiatives.

The need for inter-church dialogue aimed at solving the existing problems was noted. Discussed was also the situation in Kosovo where the suffering of the Orthodox population continues, as well as other matters of humanitarian nature.