The first meeting of the “bilateral work group” on the problems posed in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church was held in Moscow on 5-6 May. At the end of the meeting Father Vsevolod Chaplin, vice-president of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Patriarchate of Moscow, and Father Igor Kovalevsky, secretary of the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of Russia, gave a press conference. Father Chaplin recalled that the work group had been established following the visit to Moscow by Cardinal Walter Kasper. At their first meeting, the members of the bilateral work group tackled a series of “situations of conflict” experienced in some regions of Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. “When we spoke of missionary responsibility said Father Chaplin we decided not to refer to the civil laws that authorise the propagation of all ideas in all groups of society. Our Churches wish to behave to each other not like competing businesses in a free market, but by basing ourselves on the ethics of inter-ecclesial relations”. For his part, Father Kovalevsky declared that the Catholic Church, in her activity in Russia, starts out from the principle that “this country is not a mission land”. “Russia he said is a Christian country with profound Orthodox roots. Nonetheless, different ethnic groups and Christian confessions exist in its territory. They are and will always remain a minority”. ———————————————————————————————————– Sir Europa (English) N.ro assoluto : 1297 N.ro relativo : 37 Data pubblicazione : 19/05/2004
