ECUMENISM
Russia: the Pope’s letter to Alexis II The visit to Russia of His Eminence Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, was an opportunity for Pope Benedict XVI to convey to His Holiness Patriarch Alexis II his personal “esteem and appreciation” for the Patriarch’s “commitment to fostering relations between Catholics and Orthodox”. The Pope’s message was personally delivered in Moscow by Cardinal Kasper during a meeting with Alexis II, Patriarch of All Russia. “It is with joy that I reflect on the experience of growing closeness between us, accompanied by the shared desire to promote authentic Christian values and to witness to our Lord in ever deeper communion”, wrote the Holy Father. “Another sign of fraternity and friendship towards the Catholic Church”, claimed Benedict XVI, “is to be seen in the invitation extended to Cardinal Kasper by His Eminence Kirill”, metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, president of the Department for External Church Affairs of the Patriarchate of Moscow to visit his eparchy on the occasion of his name day. “This – the Pope wrote – is not only a sign of personal good will, it is also a gesture towards the Catholic Church which Cardinal Kasper represents”. In his message to Alexis II Benedict XVI recalled His Eminence’s visit to Kazan to venerate the icon of the Mother of God which pope John Paul II wanted to convey to Russia in 2004. The Pope noted how His Holiness “has been increasingly committed to dialogue with other Christians and the members of other religions” and expressed his “deep gratitude for” and “interest in” the “tokens of friendship and trust which your Church and its representatives have demonstrated in so many ways”. Pope Benedict XVI concludes with an invocation to the Risen Saviour that He may “bring us closer to each other, that we may undertake together our journey towards full communion in Him”. Ireland: summit on the “cluster bombs”Christian Churches and “Religions for Peace/Europe” signed the treaty banning “cluster bombs” from Dublin. “World churches – wrote Samuel Kobia, Secretary General of the World Council of Churches – are greatly encouraged by the fact that 109 governments resolved to ban cluster bombs”. Rev. Kobia pointed out that the Dublin treaty is “an important step” for civilians who have been “mutilated by the indiscriminate use of these weapons and for the populations living in areas where cluster bombs have been employed. The banning of “cluster bombs will save many lives”. Rev. Kobia addressed himself “to the governments which didn’t take part in the negotiations”, urging that “an ever greater number of states” take part in the Oslo Convention at the end of the year. Also Vebjørn Horsfjord, Secretary general of the European Council of “Religions for Peace” (an umbrella body representing Jews, Christians, Muslims, along with Buddhists, Sikh and Zoroastrian faithful) in a communiqué issued today praised the treaty of Dublin and expressed the hope “that an ever greater number of States sign the banning in Oslo. Cluster bombs – he added – hit indiscriminately civilians, children in particular, and therefore reach far beyond the military targets”. Italy: a “voice” for the Zimbabwe PeopleOn the occasion of the participation of the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, in the FAO summit held these days in Rome, the Christian Baptist Evangelical Union of Italy voiced its concern for the violation of human rights in the Country, afflicted by despicable economic policy which triggered one of the highest inflation rates in the world. “The population’s situation of poverty – is written in a Note of Ucebi – is worsened by the HIV plague and by malnutrition which affects the majority of the population, especially children. “These acts of violence are aimed at intimidating voters in view of the second electoral round (fixed for June 27), and compel them to confirm their adherence to the governmental forces in power. The Baptist Union demands the respect of the will of Zimbabwe’s people and that international observers ensure the regularity of democratic proceedings for June 27 elections”.France: solidarity to AlgeriaA new appeal to solidarity to Christians in Algeria was launched by the Protestant Federation of France in a moment when – states the press release – “a number of Protestant and Evangelical Algerians are being condemned for illegally practicing a non-Muslim faith to the risk of imprisonment and heavy fines”. “The Federation welcomes the courage and perseverance of Algerians, Christians and non-Christians, who defend the freedom of conscience, cult and expression in their own Country” and “joins all those who vouch for democratic freedom in Algeria, guarding against all attempts at repression”.
