Russian Patriarch and Roman Pope - Meeting?

[Irish Hermit]

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=7275

19 May 2010

Metropolitan Hilarion hopes that the meeting between Moscow Patriarch
and Pope will happen during the tenure of current Primates

Moscow, May 19, Interfax - The Moscow Patriarchate has once again
indicated that the meeting between Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
and Pope may be possible only upon eliminating contradictions in the
Churches' relations.

"My idea is that this meeting should be held between Kirill and
Benedict XVI in particular, rather than some patriarch and some
pope," head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church
Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk said Wednesday at a
press conference on the days of Russian culture in Vatican, Russia-24
TV reports.

Meanwhile Metropolitan Hilarion admitted that there were outstanding
problems of interchurch relation, in particular, the issue of
Greek-Catholics in Western Ukraine.

According to him, however, the dialogue between the Churches
continues. "People and times have changed," Metropolitan added.

A concert of Russian Orthodox music will be held in the Vatican's
Paul VI Audience Hall on May 20.

The idea for the project appeared last autumn. On September 18
Metropolitan Hilarion had a meeting with the Pope. The two sides
stressed the special significance of cultural ties between Catholics
and Orthodox Christians in preserving traditional Christian values.

At the same meeting it was decided to hold Days of Russian Spiritual
Culture in Rome in spring 2010. The Thursday concert will be the
central event of the days.

[lubeltri]

Meanwhile Metropolitan Hilarion admitted that there were outstanding
problems of interchurch relation, in particular, the issue of
Greek-Catholics in Western Ukraine.

Wouldn't it make sense to meet to help resolve these issues rather than wait to meet until after everything is fixed up?

Then the meeting would have some greater purpose than a simple photo op.

Have the Metropolitan meet the Pope in Rome or the Pope pop up to Moscow, sit at a table, and talk things out.

[Irish Hermit]

Meanwhile Metropolitan Hilarion admitted that there were outstanding
problems of interchurch relation, in particular, the issue of
Greek-Catholics in Western Ukraine.

Wouldn't it make sense to meet to help resolve these issues rather than wait to meet until after everything is fixed up?

Then the meeting would have some greater purpose than a simple photo op.

Have the Metropolitan meet the Pope in Rome or the Pope pop up to Moscow, sit at a table, and talk things out.

It's been tried, with the formation of the Quadrilateral Commission in Ukraine.

But it was a failure.  The Ukrainian Greek Catholics thought they were being sold out by the Vatican representatives for the sake of unity with the Orthodox.

They walked away from the table, partly because of that and partly because they believed the Ukrainian Nationalist Party RuKH that the State would start taking over the Orthodox churches and hand them to the Ukrainian Greek Catholics.

After the failure of the Commission they took several hundred Orthodox churches by force.   Pope John Paul said nothing.   Not a peep.


If Orthodoc sees this thread he has this history at his fingertips

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