On the road of dialogue

Russia’s Orthodox Church has its first post-Communist patriarch, the 16th of its history, announced with 16 bell tolls. The new Russian Patriarch is Metropolitan bishop of Smolensk and Kaliningrad Kirill, 62, “foreign minister” of Moscow’s patriarchate, great communicator, considered the soul of the wing that is more open to dialogue, in particular with the Catholic Church. He was elected on Tuesday January 27 in the Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer in Moscow, with unexpected large majority vote (508 out of 677). During the first three days of assembly, the local council of the Orthodox Church, that preferred him to Kliment (59), Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk, conservative bishop with important political ties but little charisma who chairs Russian Orthodox Church administration, gained 169 votes. These were the only two candidates after the withdrawal of Belarus’ metropolitan bishop of Minsk and Slutsk Filarete (73), who diverted his supporters’ – non decisive – votes to Kirill. The Episcopal council had proposed the three candidatures on Sunday, thereby expressing their preference for the first (97 votes against 32 and 16 respectively). The official installation is scheduled for February 1st. Kirill, in the world Vladimir Gundiaiev, was nominated regent patriarch at the beginning of December, following the death of AlessioII, the pioneer of the 18-year-long renaissance of the Orthodox Church after centuries of State atheism and Communist persecutions, starting from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, destroyed by Stalin and rebuilt by Boris Ieltsin in the 1990s. Follow the remarks of European Church representatives on the patriarchal election. From the Holy See. Benedict XVI affirmed his “joy” at the news of the election of Kirill as the new patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in a telegram sent to congratulate the Patriarch. “May the Almighty God bless your efforts to maintain communion among the Orthodox Church also to seek that fullness of communion which is the goal of Catholic-Orthodox collaboration and dialogue,” stated the Pontiff. Benedict XVI reiterated the “spiritual closeness” along with the “assurance of the Catholic Church’s commitment to cooperate with the Russian Orthodox Church for an ever clearer witness to the truth of the Christian message and to the values which alone can sustain today’s world along the way of peace, justice and loving care of the marginalized”. The Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity welcomed the election with joy. “We trust we will be able to continue together down the path of mutual understanding we have already begun,” states the communiqué. “We do not, of course, wish to lose sight of the difficulties that still remain, but we are ready and willing to cooperate in the social and cultural fields in order to bear witness to Christian values”. From Russia. “I firmly hope that the relations of fraternal mutual understanding, trust and cooperation that have marked the development of relations between our two Churches in the latest years of service of the late Holiest Patriarch Alexis may be further developed. We will do our utmost to ensure this development”, declared Msgr. Paolo Pezzi, archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow. The apostolic nuncio of the Russian Federation Msgr. Antonio Mennini added: “It is my belief that the new patriarch will continue along the path of dialogue with the Church of Rome”. The orthodox world “expects the new Patriarch to act as a reliable guide indicating to this Church new points of arrival not only in the path of dialogue but also as relates to evangelisation, to transmit the values of the Gospel to the new generations”, he claimed. From Europe. European Churches conveyed congratulations. Msgr. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, metropolitan bishop of Minsk- Mahilev (Belarus), declared, “His election to the Patriarchal throne paves the way to renewed future relations between the Orthodox and the Catholic Church, marked by closer cooperation, by the joint response to present challenges and the common testimony of Christ”. Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris and President of the French Bishops’ Conference, expressed in a congratulatory message “the joy” of the Catholic Church in France. The Conference of European Churches (CEC) in welcoming the outcome of the elections conveyed the “hope” of resumed “participation of the Russian Orthodox Church within the CEC”. In a communiqué the CEC recalled that the Russian Orthodox Church is one of its members. However, in October 2008 the Russian Church had suspended its active participation within the CEC due to problems regarding the membership request of the Estonian Orthodox Church tied to Moscow’s Patriarchate. The question is linked to disagreements between Moscow’s Patriarchate and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. In the letter, Secretary General Colin Williams assured the new Patriarch on the prosecution “of mutual cooperation aimed at enabling the full participation of the Russian Orthodox Church to CEC activity”, in view of the 13th CEC Assembly scheduled in Lion next July.