“The conflict provoked by the Vatican weakens common Christian witness before secular society and other religions”
Interview by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad to CNN and APTN

“THE CONFLICT PROVOKED BY THE VATICAN WEAKENS COMMON CHRISTIAN WITNESS BEFORE SECULAR SOCIETY AND OTHER RELIGIONS”
Interview by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad to CNN and APTN

– What is the reaction of the Moscow Patriarchate to the Vatican’s decision to establish Catholic dioceses in the territory of the Russian Federation?

– The Russian Orthodox Church disapproves of such actions on the part of the Vatican because the point in this case is not just a structural change but a change in the very nature of the Catholic Church’s presence in Russia. If previously the Catholic structures in our country were built to take pastoral care of Russian Catholics, now what has been established in fact is the Catholic Church in Russia with emphasis on missionary service in Russian society. I would also like to note that the decision to transform the Apostolic Administrations into dioceses was prepared in secret from us, though there are bilateral agreements with the Catholic Church that all the major structural changes are to be made only after mutual consultations. I met with Archbishop Taddeusz Kondrusievicz just a few days before this event, but he did not deem it necessary to inform me about coming changes.

– In your opinion, how feasible is the prospect for a meeting between the Pope of Rome and the Patriarch of All Russia in this situation?

– It is not through our fault that a complication has happened in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican. Just as in the case of the Pope’s visit to Ukraine, it was the Catholics who initiated the conflict.

Just imagine what would be the attitude of the Orthodox believers in Russia to the establishment of Catholic dioceses in our country if this decision were made public after a meeting between His Holiness the Patriarch and the Pope of Rome? How would this affect the authority of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church? Therefore, unless we settle serious problems in the bilateral relations, unless we agree on the principles of cooperation, such a meeting appears unlikely.

– What are the prospects for relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican? Will they be suspended or there is still a chance for a settlement?

– After the Pope’s visit to Ukraine, our relations have been frozen. Nevertheless, the fact should not be ignored that the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches represent significant spiritual forces in today’s Europe, which can give a common Christian response to the challenges of the modern civilization.

Therefore, we have found strength in ourselves to take symbolic and practical actions aimed to restore relations with the Catholic Church. During Christmas, an Orthodox children’s choir from Russia performed before the Pope. A delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church was sent to Assisi for the interreligious peace meeting initiated by the Pope of Rome. In the end of February, negotiations were to take place with Cardinal Walter Kaspar in Moscow to discuss the resumption of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue. We were ready to improve gradually the relations between the two Churches but, unfortunately, the Vatican responded to our good intentions by continuing its expansion in the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate.

– Catholics in the Russian Federation are many fewer in number than the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church. Why do you think the decision to establish Catholic dioceses in the territory of Russia has provoked such a harsh reaction from the Orthodox?

– According to the decisions of Vatican II, the Catholics consider the Orthodox Church to be a sister Church and recognize that she administers the Sacraments, preaches the gospel in the right way and offers salvation to people. In accordance with this ecclesiology, the Orthodox and the Catholics should not compete in the same territory, creating parallel structures, but rather help each other in mission and witness to Christ.

We uphold these principles in building relations with the Catholic Church. That is why in traditionally Catholic countries the Russian Church does not carry out missionary work among the local population, not does it create parishes for the Russian emigration. We expected that the Vatican would behave in the same way in Russia where for over one thousand years now, from the moment when Christianity was adopted, the Russian Orthodox Church has been the national Church. It is amazing that the Vatican believes the existence of Orthodox dioceses for Russian people in Western Europe to be a justification for expanding its missionary work in the territory of the Moscow Patriarchate.

– Please, tell me what consequences may ensue from the aggravation in inter-Christian relations in view of the instable situation in the world?

– The conflict provoked by the Vatican weakens the common Christian witness before the secular society and other religions. We believe that the Catholic Church and the Moscow Patriarchate should, together with other Local Orthodox Church, enter in cooperation with European institutions to ensure that uniting Europe may develop harmonically, that the religious factor may not be marginalized in public life in the course of integration processes in this region and throughout the world.

We are realists and we understand that the Russian Orthodox Church will not be able to solve these problems alone, just as the Catholic Church has proved unable to solve them. We have demonstrated our readiness for dialogue, but the steps taken by the Catholics were very unfriendly. One can only regret that for the sake of a momentary advantage the Vatican has brought into challenge the essentially strategic ideas of inter-Christian cooperation.