"It is clear went on Patriarch Alexius in the interview appearing at the website of the weekly "La Vie" from yesterday, that a few trends of the contemporary world, such as secularization, religious relativism, religious marginalization with respect to social life, campaigning for consumption culture, revision of ethical rules, need a common answer which Orthodox and Catholics can, and must, provide". "Together, we must defend the family and warn the society about the tragic character of the culture of death publicized today, which wants us to accept abortion, euthanasia and couples of the same sex". On those fronts, Orthodox and Catholics stated the Patriarch have been able to rely on a positive experience of common action for some time", on both the international and European level. In relation to the meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, Alexius II confirmed again that "the question of a visit of the Pope to Russia is not in our agenda. However, the possibility of a meeting with the Pope of Rome has never been rejected, not even in difficult periods. We have always thought that the meeting of the primates of the two biggest Christian Churches should be accompanied with a real progress in our relationships. It should not be just a particular gesture, a simple media event".
