Long And Winding Road

by Robert Moynihan

"The question arises: Does the Vatican still regard its relations with the Orthodox Church as those of dialogue and cooperation, as it has continually stated, or it sees Orthodoxy as an undesirable rival? If the latter is the case, any agreement between us is out of question." — Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexi II

No one yet knows the consequences of Pope John Paul II's decision on February 11 to create four Catholic dioceses in Russia.

The move transformed the four existing apostolic administrations into three dioceses and one archdiocese: the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, the Diocese of St. Clement in Saratov, the Diocese of the Transfiguration in Novosibirsk and the Diocese of St. Joseph in Irkutsk.

Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, head of the new Moscow archdiocese, said the reorganization was an internal matter that posed no threat to the Orthodox.

"This is not really introducing new Church structures into those territories, but rather restoring those that existed before," the Vatican said.

But the decision sparked an angry reaction on the part of the Russian Orthodox Church and seemed to signal a rupture in relations between Rome and Moscow.

Therefore, it may be that relations will deteriorate further, marked by increasing distrust, accusations and recriminations.

But it may also be that this decision may mark the opening of a new and more pragmatic period in Catholic-Orthodox relations in which relations can improve.

If that comes to pass, it will be almost miraculous, for it seems, as of this writing in early March, that relations could hardly get any worse . . .

In the following pages, we provide considerable documentation regarding these recent events. We do so in the hope of making a small contribution to mutual understanding between the two "sister Churches" now passing through a difficult period of trial and discernment.

* * *

Russian Orthodox Archbishop Clement of Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate received the Representative of the Holy See in Russia, Archbishop Giorgio Zur, at the latter's request, on February 6.

Zur conveyed word of the Vatican's decision to change the canonical order of the Catholic Church in Russia.

Clement replied that the actions represented violations of the "canonical principles and norms of inter-Church relations" and would constitute "serious obstacles" for the development of dialogue between the two Churches.

On February 11 the news was made public. Pope John Paul II had:

— Elevated the apostolic administrations of the Russian Federation to the rank of dioceses with a view to facilitating their pastoral activities. Thus he created a regular ecclesiastical province with the dioceses of: St. Clement at Saratov, the Transfiguration at Novosibirsk and St. Joseph at Irkutsk, as suffragans of the metropolitan see of the archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow.

— Appointed Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, apostolic administrator of Northern European Russia, as metropolitan archbishop of the archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow.

— Appointed Bishop Clemens Pickel, apostolic administrator of Southern European Russia, as bishop of the diocese St. Clement at Saratov.

— Appointed Bishop Joseph Werth S.J., apostolic administrator of Western Siberia, as bishop of the diocese of the Transfiguration at Novosibirsk.

— Appointed Bishop Jerzy Mazur S.V.D., apostolic administrator of Eastern Siberia, as bishop of the diocese of St. Joseph at Irkutsk.

History will judge John Paul's decision as the prudential decision of ecclesial administration. It is too early for us to make such a judgment. All we can do is record the events as they unfolded, and the reactions up to now.

In Rome, the view of Russia and of the Russian Orthodox Church is a multi-faceted, nuanced view containing at least these three main elements:

(1) Communist Russia. Russia is seen as a vast country where the preaching of the Gospel was ridiculed and persecuted for three generations by a tyrannical regime which released its grip only a decade ago; a country where thousands of Christians of all denominations were imprisoned and executed; therefore, Russia needs to hear the Gospel preached — Russia needs to be "re-evangelized" after the country's 70 years of doctrinaire atheism.

(2) Catholic Russia. Russia has populations, generally of non-Russians, inside its vast territory (some of which came to Russia from Poland and Germany) which were Catholic prior to the 1918 Communist revolution; therefore, these populations need to be sought out, discovered, and assisted to return to the practice of their ancestral faith — something that pastoral structures, like dioceses, help to accomplish.

(3) Orthodox Russia. Russia is also the home of the Russian Orthodox Church, the most numerous of all the Orthodox Churches. And, though the Catholic-Orthodox schism of 1054 remains in effect, and though there are doctrinal differences between the two Churches which must be settled before full communion can occur, Rome regards the Orthodox in general and the Russian Orthodox in particular (since they are the most numerous and vibrant branch of Orthodoxy) as "separated brethren" with whom a way forward toward full reunion needs urgently to be found (on this point, see the document Dominus lesus, which says the Orthodox Churches are true Churches, though separated from Rome).

So, Rome seeks to do three things at once in Russia: to re-evangelize long-suffering, formerly Communist "atheist Russia"; to support the surviving and now growing Catholic communities of Russia; and to work out a profound, new, close relationship with Russian Orthodoxy, a relationship whose ultimate result would be a full reunion between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, as was the case during the first 1,000 years of the Church's history.

And so the answer to the question posed by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexi at the outset of this article — "Does the Vatican regard Orthodoxy as an undesirable rival?" — is no.

No, the Vatican does not regard Orthodoxy as an undesirable rival — far from it.

The Vatican sees in Orthodoxy a vastly important counterweight to other non-Christian forces in the West which have been at war with Christian belief and practice since the time of the Roman Empire.

This explains why the Vatican has willingly encouraged Catholic groups to work alongside the Russian Orthodox, even to support Russian Orthodox initiatives financially, as the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (Kirche in Not) has done for more than a decade — even as some Catholic groups struggled due to lack of funds.

For many years, Pope John Paul has listened to the advice of those who argued that the wisest course in approaching the Russians was to "go slow" — to cultivate a friendship by helping the Orthodox.

This "soft" line was held by Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, by Achille Silvestrini, and by many in the Vatican's ecumenical office, from Cardinal Edward Cassidy to the present Cardinal Walter Kasper.

The Pope, and with him Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the "Polish lobby" around the Pope, and Kondrusiewicz himself, agreed to go along with this "soft" line in hopes of obtaining a much-desired prize: an invitation form Patriarch Alexi for the Pope to visit Moscow.

The Pope evidently believes that he has a "mission" still to accomplish in Russia — that if he could just visit Russia personally, he could help light a spiritual renewal which just might have something to do with the "conversion of Russia" spoken of by the Virgin who appeared to the three children at Fatima in 1917.

But such an invitation has never come. And when, on January 25 (the day following the "prayer for peace" in Assisi), the most recent high-level Orthodox delegation made it clear to the Pope that even now, though he is almost 82 years old and in uncertain health, though Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would like the Pope to visit Russia (perhaps for his own political reasons), an invitation is not forthcoming, a decision was taken to change tactics.

Moscow or no Moscow, the Pope decided to think of the Roman Catholic communities of Russia. These communities have lived without ordinary diocesan structures for many years now; Rome decided it was time to regularize the diocesan life of the Catholic Church in Russia, as is the practice in other nations around the world.

Moreover, the advisors of the Pope noted something else: that the Russian Orthodox seem almost paralyzed by the new conditions they are living in since the collapse of Communism.

They seem unable to evangelize effectively the large numbers of Chinese people who are simply walking over the border into Siberia, for example. (Bishop Jerzy Mazur in Irkutsk, by contrast, has initiated a large-scale program to train Chinese-speaking Catholic missionaries to evangelize among these immigrants.)

Perhaps the Orthodox were traumatized by the experience of 70 years of repression — there is no doubt that they suffered heavy blows, and that Christians around the world should mourn for the suffering of the Russian Orthodox believers under the Communist regime.

But whatever the reason, the rapid secularization of modern Russia is completing what Communism could not accomplish: the "de-Christianization" of Russia.

The Catholic Church cannot stand still and watch Orthodoxy slowly perish.

By acting vigorously now, the Pope is well aware that now he may never receive the invitation to visit Moscow he has so desired. But John Paul has given an impetus to the life of the Catholic Church in Russia which will enable the Church to carry out its evangelizing mission with greater confidence and efficiency — and this may very well turn out to have the opposite result from that feared by many Russian Orthodox.

The emergence of the Roman Catholic Church, with its many and profound links with Orthodoxy, may spark a revival in Orthodoxy itself.

John Paul, then, has acted in this case firmly, more firmly than he has acted in other difficult situations (like China and a number of Islamic countries, where the "soft" line of quiet appeasement is still followed — but even on these two other fronts, the times may now be mature for the Church to take a much firmer position on her rights than in the past).

The Roman Catholic Church has no desire to see the Russian Orthodox Church weak or confused or divided.

The Pope desires to preserve and make known the vast riches of Russian Christian spirituality. He desires this more than he desires to travel to Moscow . . .

* * *

The "Day of Prayer for Peace in the World" was observed on January 24 in Assisi, Italy. Among the Orthodox participants in the event were His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and representatives of other Orthodox Churches.

The Russian Orthodox Church was represented by Metropolitan Pitirim of Volokolamsk and Yuriev, Bishop Innocent of Korsun, and Bishop Hilarion of Kerch (with whom this writer has come to know in recent years).

On January 25, 2002, Pope John Paul II received Pitirim and Hilarion in audience.

During the meeting, John Paul expressed the wish to meet with Patriarch Alexi II of Moscow and All Russia to hand him over the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan (readers of this magazine are sufficiently informed about the history and importance of this holy icon due to the recent three-part series on the icon by Dmitri Khafizov; see our December, January and February issues).

Hilarion, in his turn, expressed the point of view of the Russian Orthodox Church on the present state in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, describing it as utterly unsatisfactory.

He said Alexi II was ready in principle to meet the Pope John Paul II of Rome, but this meeting could take place only after a common position was reached on basic problems of inter-Church relations.

In particular, Hilarion said, both sides should condemn proselytism in all its forms, agree on the inadmissibility of "Uniate" Churches as a method of achieving unity in the past, present and future, and recognize and strictly observe the principle of canonical territory.

Within hours after this meeting, Pope John Paul made the decision to create the four new Catholic dioceses in Russia.

What is clear from the outline we have just given of this January 25 meeting is that the Russian Orthodox are still trying desperately to protect the concept — and the reality, as much as possible — of a national Christian Church.

That is, the Russians hold that ethnic Russians, those who make up the Russian nation because of their ethnicity, ought to be Russian Orthodox Christians, and not Roman Catholics.

Now, this is a concept with a long history also in the West. The breakdown of the ancient world order led to a period in which entire nations were "baptized into Christ" — the French under Clovis, for example. And these Christian peoples formed the living material out of which the European nation-states grew.

So the idea of a nation in which all the people follow a single religion is not one alien to the western Christian tradition, though the history of the past 500 years has been one long attack on that idea, first with the Protestant Reformation (where each local prince could choose the faith of his people) and since the Enlightenment period, when the modern secular and pluralistic nation state began to be born.

And so the Russian Orthodox are not wrong when they protest against the disintegration of the religious unity of the Russian people.

But there is another problem: universality.

The Christian faith can never be restricted to one national or ethnic group. Even if a certain form of Christian culture can spring up within a national or ethnic group (again, one thinks, for example, of "French Catholicism"), Christianity is "supra-ethnic" by its very nature. Christ came to save, not one people, but all peoples.

The problem posed by the Orthodox position then, is a multi-faceted and exceedingly difficult one.

The best way forward would seem to be to hold a small, face-to-face meeting between a small number of leading theologians and thinkers of both Churches and try to come up with a document on these matters which would be acceptable to both sides.

Officials inside the Vatican have said they would look with favor on such an initiative, and officials at the Moscow Patriarchate have also expressed interest in this proposal.

* * *

The Russian Church has long accused Catholics of proselytizing in what it considers its spiritual territory and says there can be no meeting between its leader, Patriarch Alexi II, and Pope John Paul II until the Vatican renounces such activity.

Metropolitan Kirill, the Moscow Patriarchate's chief of foreign relations, said at a news conference in February that the Catholic Church had "taken advantage" of the Orthodox Church's weakness after 74 years of Soviet rule and "the genocide of believers."

The Communist regime jailed and killed hundreds of priests.

"Is it admissible to reap dividends from this tragedy?" he said.

The Catholic Church has said that its activity in Russia is aimed primarily at meeting the needs of people with Catholic roots.

Church leaders say they do not actively recruit Orthodox believers — or ethnic Russian non-believers whom the Orthodox Church considers part of its potential flock.

Kirill said that, since the Vatican has formally recognized Orthodox Churches as sister churches, it has no right to take in Orthodox converts.

"If an Orthodox person or a person rooted in Orthodoxy comes and asks to convert, the correct answer would be 'Why don't you want to be Orthodox?'" Kirill said.

The Roman Catholic Church says there are about 600,000 Catholics in Russia today, while there were an estimated 800,000 on the territory of modern-day Russia before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

* * *

It isn't yet clear whether the angry reaction of the Orthodox will lead to a real chill in Vatican-Moscow relations.

One worrisome sign came on February 15, when the Russian Duma passed a resolution strictly limiting the granting of visas to enter Russia to Vatican representatives.

The resolution, put forward by nationalist leader and Duma Vice Speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky, asks the government's committee on public associations and religious organizations to send a request to the Russian Foreign Ministry to "stop giving visas to representatives of the Vatican in connection with the worsening situation brought about by the change in status of Catholic dioceses," the Russian-language Blagovest-info agency reported from Moscow.

Zhirinovsky, best known in the West for his anti-Semitic remarks and in Russia for his fiery and sometimes clownish oratory, frequently champions causes of the Russian Orthodox Church, including loudly opposing last year's papal visit to Ukraine.

The wording of his resolution is vague and does not indicate whether representatives of the Vatican would include only the handful of diplomats stationed in Moscow or the scores of priests and nuns who are foreign citizens and must renew their visas on an annual basis.

Church observers said that, in reality, the resolution is likely to go no further than Zhirinovsky's proposal. The Catholic Church in Russia, as a legally registered body serving Russian citizens, has the right to invite foreigners to live and work on its behalf in Russia, a mostly Orthodox country of 150 million.

Under the resolution, the Foreign Ministry is required to report to the Duma "on any cases of the Catholic Church violating the freedom of conscience or belief of citizens of any governments in the Commonwealth of Independent States," Blagovest-info reported.

The commonwealth comprises the countries that were part of the Soviet Union, except for Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

The visa legislation was followed by a second worrisome decision: the Orthodox leadership canceled a planned visit to Moscow by Cardinal Kasper, the Vatican's top ecumenical official.

Patriarch Alexi II of Moscow and members of the Russian Orthodox synod called the February 11 creation of four dioceses an "unfriendly" move that proved a longstanding Orthodox claim that the Catholic Church wants to expand its influence in traditionally Orthodox territory.

Cardinal Kasper told Vatican Radio February 15 that he hoped sometime this year to be able to make the Moscow trip, originally scheduled for February 21-22, to try to correct the "big misunderstanding" the Orthodox have of the pope's motives.

The cardinal said the Vatican action had caused "serious damage," but he did not expect it to derail Catholic-Russian Orthodox talks forever.

"I think it will change again, because this a big misunderstanding," he said. "We don't want to make proselytism, we want to care for our Catholic people in Russia."

The Orthodox patriarch and synod said February 12 that the establishment of the dioceses "means, in fact, the establishment of a national Catholic Church in Russia having its center in Moscow and claiming the Russian people, who are the flock of the Russian Orthodox Church culturally, spiritually and historically."

"The formation of such a Church in Russia means, in fact, a challenge to Orthodoxy, which has been rooted in the country for centuries," the Russian leaders said.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said February 15, "It seems to me the basic question is whether they want to accept and protect the fundamental rights of the freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, which are at the foundation of every form of civil and pluralistic harmony."

Requesting that Cardinal Kasper cancel his visit, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, the chief ecumenical officer of the Russian Orthodox Church said, "This is a logical reaction to the unilateral steps taken by the Vatican to create a centralized structure for the Catholic Church in Russia" despite "the opposition of the Orthodox Church."

Patriarch Alexi and the Russian synod also claimed the Vatican move was unilateral and that the Orthodox were presented with a "fait accompli, whereas such matters in our opinion, require a preliminary discussion."

But Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican Secretary of State, denied that the Orthodox were not informed about the Pope's desire to upgrade the Catholic structures in Russia.

"It is not right that our Russian Orthodox brothers say they were surprised," he told Avvenire, the Italian Catholic newspaper. "For some time we have been discussing with them this reorganization planned by the pope to offer better religious assistance to Catholics in that immense country."

Although disagreeing on how much the creation of new dioceses was to blame, Catholic and Orthodox officials agreed that a possible papal trip to Moscow was unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Cardinal Sodano told Avvenire, "This plan has not been pushed off; it was not even near."

In announcing the transformation of the four Catholic jurisdictions, Navarro-Valls emphasized several points:

— It was "normal" for apostolic administrations, which are temporary jurisdictions, eventually to become dioceses.

— Catholics in Russia repeatedly had requested the upgrade to dioceses.

— The Vatican was providing for Catholics in Russia only what Russian Orthodox faithful receive in the West — pastoral care in their own diocese. The Vatican spokesman cited the existence of Russian Orthodox dioceses in Vienna, Austria; Brussels, Belgium; and Berlin.

— The Russian civil authorities had no problem with the move, since they recognize international agreements on religious freedom.

— The Vatican hopes the reorganization will aid dialogue with the Russian Orthodox.

An accompanying unsigned Vatican statement also rejected Orthodox accusations of proselytism.

"The current increase in the number of Catholics in the Russian Federation certainly is not occurring through passage from the Orthodox to the Catholic Church. The new Catholics come instead from environments traditionally distant from any religion," it said.

Kondrusiewicz told Inside the Vatican that the Catholic Church had been trying for 11 years to investigate the Russian Orthodox claims of proselytism, but Orthodox leaders have not provided any evidence that it is occurring.

"We want to know the facts of exactly who is involved or has been involved in proselytism, in what places, at what times and in what circumstances," he said.

He also said that one state-run radio station in Moscow posed a question to listeners about the creation of the dioceses.

More than 4,300 listeners responded, he said, and 62 percent said the Vatican move was not dangerous to Russia.

The archbishop said he was hoping that the normalization of Church structures would help as members of the Russian Parliament prepared to introduce changes in the law that defines Russia's traditional religions. Faiths not recognized as among the traditional religions face legal and administrative obstacles.

"Before these changes we existed, but not as a permanent structures," he said. "I'm not sure, but I do hope it will help us."

* * *

Is a papal trip to Russia now impossible?

It does seem that the recent Vatican decision and the Orthodox reaction have suddenly made the road to Moscow seem much longer for Pope John Paul II than ever before.

For history's most-traveled pope, the latest Orthodox reaction sounded like a bolt being slid across the door.

"It moves us away, in fact very far away, from the prospect of a visit," said Igor Vyzhanov, an official of the Russian Orthodox Moscow Patriarchate.

Not that the Pope was packing his bags for Moscow. Despite his long-expressed desire to visit, no such trip was on the horizon.

"It was never very likely, so not much has changed," Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican's top ecumenist, said with more than a touch of realism.

A few years ago, on a plane to Mexico, the Pope was asked about the "impossible" trips — the places he would visit, if only he could. He said Russia and China were at the top of that list.

That's still true today. But meanwhile, several other countries once thought impossible have hosted the Pope over the last three years. The pontiff visited Greece in 2001 with the grudging consent of the Greek Orthodox Church. He went to Ukraine despite Russian Orthodox objections and also traveled to Syria, which for years was thought too politically risky for a papal visit.

During Holy Year 2000, he made pilgrimages to Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, all places that long were considered off-limits to papal travel because of the continuing Middle East conflict.

Last fall, he made trips to Kazakstan and Armenia, bringing to seven the number of former Soviet republics he has visited.

The Pope now has visited 129 countries, and there aren't many blank spots left on his map. Two more will be filled this spring: Azerbaijan and Bulgaria. That will mean the pontiff will have visited every country bordering Russia west of the Urals except for Belarus — and that trip might not be far away.

Even Vatican officials sometimes look at the map and joke that the Pope must be trying to "encircle" Russia with his recent trips. Archbishop Kondrusiewicz of Moscow has gone so far as to suggest that the Pope could come without an Orthodox invitation, but papal aides say that has not been a realistic option — at least until now.

The Polish-born pontiff has a pretty good track record of making impossible trips happen, though. His visits over the last decade have included communist Cuba, war-scarred Lebanon and volatile Bosnia. He touched down in Tunisia in Northern Africa's Muslim belt and in Sudan, where the government has been waging war on the predominantly Christian half of the population.

At age 81 and with nearly 24 years of traveling behind him, he has visited almost every predominantly Christian country in the world. Among the exceptions are Namibia in southern Africa, Guyana in South America, Moldova in Europe, and a few scattered island-nations in the Pacific and Caribbean.

The Pope's "no-fly zone" today extends mainly from Northern Africa (Algeria, Libya) down to the Horn of Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia) across the Arabian Gulf region (Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates), then eastward through Iraq, Iran and the predominantly Muslim "stans" of the Asian steppes.

Asia is the least-visited continent for Pope John Paul II, in terms of population. He has yet to visit China, Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Myanmar, which have a combined population of 1.5 billion people.

China is one of those places that tantalizes the Pope, according to his aides. They are convinced that a papal visit could help heal the rift between clandestine Catholics and those who belong to the government-sanctioned church. They think the Pope, who has professed great respect for Chinese culture, could show the Church is friend, not foe, to the Chinese people.

But the political problems connected with such a visit remain insurmountable. The same week the Pope was hearing bad news from Moscow, a new report detailed how anti-religious persecution in China was continuing, with arrests and discrimination against Christians.

A papal trip also would raise the issue of Taiwan, with which the Vatican still maintains diplomatic ties. And besides, the Pope hasn't even been invited to China.

It seems impossible — so you can bet the Pope is wondering how to pull it off.

* * *

The recent move transforms the four existing apostolic administrations into three dioceses and one archdiocese.

The main Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, on which the other three dioceses will depend, is the former apostolic administration for Northern European Russia. The Moscow archdiocese will be headed by Archbishop Kondrusiewicz, who had been apostolic administrator there since 1991.

The Diocese of St. Clement in Saratov is the former apostolic administration of Southern European Russia, headed by Bishop Clemens Pickel.

In western Siberia, the Diocese of the Transfiguration in Novosibirsk will be headed by Bishop Joseph Werth. In Eastern Siberia, the Diocese of St. Joseph in Irkutsk will be headed by Bishop Jerzy Mazur.

The Vatican statement provided a historical review of the Catholic Church's presence in Russia, to make it clear the current return of the Church's hierarchy cannot be considered a form of invasion or interference.

It cited statistics of more than 112,000 Catholics in 1858 under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Mohilev, with more than 30 parishes throughout the country. By the early 1920s, it said, that figure had grown to 1.6 million Catholics in four dioceses or jurisdictions and 580 parishes.

Much of the 20th-century increase in Catholics in Russia or Soviet territories was due to the forced migration of Poles, Germans and others across the country, the Vatican noted.

In 1991, after the Soviet breakup, the Vatican established two apostolic administrations to deal with pastoral reorganization, one in "European Russia" and one in Siberia. In 1999, each of those jurisdictions was split into two apostolic administrations.

The Vatican estimates the number of Catholics in Russian territory at approximately 1.4 million, about 1 million of them in western Siberia.

In the parts of Russia closer to Europe, Catholics number about 300,000, according to official church statistics.

According to Igor Vyzhanov, the Catholic specialist in the Moscow Patriarchate's Department of External Church Relations, the Vatican move was made "clearly for the purposes of expansion."

"First of all there are too few Catholics in Russia to justify such a move. They are clearly doing this for missionary purposes. They want to attract (to the Catholic Church) those people who are confused or haven't decided yet what faith they want to be," Vyzhanov said.

He said the Orthodox Holy Synod would take up the question in coming days. While there was some talk of an improvement in Catholic-Orthodox relations following the interfaith prayer meeting in Assisi Jan. 24, Vyzhanov said that, "after this step, it is difficult to speak of a thaw."

Archbishop Kondrusiewicz of the new Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow told the Fides news agency February 13, "An eventual trip by Pope John Paul II to Russia depends more on the willingness of the entire society than on the leadership of the patriarchate, with whom we nonetheless cultivate a continuous and intense dialogue and which we hope will bear good fruit."

The archbishop, in a February 13 interview with Vatican Radio, also defended the Vatican's decision to transform the apostolic administrations into dioceses.

"Those apostolic administrations were temporary structures and now the Holy See thinks, and we in Russia also think, the time has come to turn these temporary structures into permanent structures," he said.

The Vatican action, he said, not only shows the renewed maturity of the Catholic Church in Russia, but "is a sign of democratic development and of religious freedom" in the nation.

Kondrusiewicz said the Russian Orthodox Church's negative reaction to the Vatican decision "basically is what they have repeated for 10 years: the problems of the Ukraine's Byzantine rite, the problem of proselytism, the problem of the so-called invasion of the canonical territory of the Patriarchate of Moscow — these are nothing new."

As the Vatican did when announcing its decision, the archbishop also denied the Russian Orthodox charges that the Catholic Church was inventing completely new structures in Russia.

"Catholic dioceses were established in Russia in the 14th century," he said. "Before 1917, before the Bolshevik Revolution, there were two bishops' sees, one is St. Petersburg and one in Saratov; the metropolitan see was in the capital of the Russian empire, St. Petersburg."

Under the communists, "all the structures were destroyed; those of the Orthodox Church were destroyed, those of the Protestant churches as well as those of the Catholic Church."

The archbishop told Fides, "If the patriarchate had not reacted in such an exaggerated manner," news of the four dioceses "would not have given rise to any particular reaction in Russian society."

* * *

The Vatican's view of the state of Catholic-Russian Orthodox relations was explained in a report in the January 27 edition of L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.

"Those relations were characterized by tensions during the last decade of the 20th century and, unfortunately, they have remained unvaried at the beginning of the third millennium," wrote Jesuit Father Jozef M. Maj, an official at the council for Christian unity.

"The reason the Patriarchate of Moscow refuses to open itself to the numerous gestures coming from the Catholic Church and the motivation of its conditions for the eventual relaunching of relations is the accusation of Catholic proselytism and expansionism in patriarchal territory and the destruction of its three dioceses in Western Ukraine," he said.

The Jesuit said the three dioceses were part of the Ukrainian Catholic Church before it was forcibly merged with the Russian Orthodox Church by the communist government in 1946, and the vast majority of priests and faithful have since reaffirmed their Catholic identity.

The Orthodox accusations, repeated continuously since 1989, were made again January 25 in Rome by Bishop Hilarion of Kerchen, the Moscow patriarch's new vicar for England and a participant in the Assisi meeting.

Asked how relations could move forward, the bishop told APIC, a Swiss Catholic news agency, "We must resolve the problems linked to uniatism and proselytism."

"Uniatism" is a reference to the existence of the Eastern Catholic churches, which share the liturgy and traditions of the Orthodox but are in full communion with Rome.

Pope John Paul, visiting Ukraine last June, made clear his support and admiration for the nation's Eastern Catholic Church, which survived despite four decades of communist repression.

At the same time, the Pope said the Catholic Church is interested in providing pastoral care to its faithful in the countries of the former Soviet Union and in helping the Orthodox to do likewise.

Father Maj repeated another practical point raised by the Pope in a letter to the head of Russian-allied Ukrainian Orthodox Church three months before the trip.

The Vatican and the Russian Orthodox patriarchate agreed in late 1999 to appoint a commission of local church representatives to investigate claims of pressure or even violence being used to take over churches or win over faithful.

The Catholic members of the commission were appointed early in 2000, but the Russian Orthodox have yet to name anyone to the panel, Father Maj said.

"The Catholic Church did not have and does not have any intention of proselytizing" in the region, Father Maj wrote.

"Such an action would be in strident contrast to the generous, unconditional and fraternal help which the Catholic Church — through its own dioceses, charitable organizations and aid agencies — offers every year to the Russian Orthodox Church, its dioceses, seminaries and monasteries," he said.

A January 20 report in the weekly newspaper of the Moscow-based Apostolic Administration for European Russia provided an example of the help offered, reporting on funding distributed by the Catholic organization, Aid to the Church in Need.

Over the past 10 years, it said, the German-based charity has distributed $33.2 million in aid in Russia; 51.9 percent to Catholic projects and 48.1 percent to projects approved by the Russian Orthodox Church or by local Russian Orthodox bishops.

Father Maj said: "Despite the existing difficult climate, which easily could be overcome, numerous contacts continue between the two churches. These contacts are concrete and undeniable signs that a certain communion already exists between the churches.

"The Catholic Church has not and will not stop working and praying that it would be possible to walk together in the cause of the Gospel and for the good of the world," he said.

* * *

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in January he still hopes to host a visit by Pope John Paul II during his time as head of state.

In a January 16 interview with Poland's mass-circulation Gazeta Wyborcza daily, Putin said he felt "huge respect" for the Polish-born Pope and "fondly remembered" his "warm reception" during a Vatican visit two years ago.

"This could sound unexpected, but we also have a feeling of pride that a representative of Slavic nations became pope, and that it was a Pole — for us Russians, this is particularly nice," Putin said. "There are no problems in ties between Russia and the Vatican, and I'm ready at any time to invite the Pope. But if he's to go to Moscow, he himself wishes the visit to have full value, which means achieving full relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. And this, unfortunately, doesn't depend on me," Putin added.

Patriarch Alexi of Moscow immediately criticized Putin's remarks.

"A visit by the Roman Pope to Russia is impossible as long as the Catholic Church continues its expansion in western Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, and as long as three of our Church's dioceses in western Ukraine remain crushed," said the patriarch, repeating remarks he has made in the past.

* * *

Contacts between Catholics and other Orthodox Churches continued in February despite the tensions with Moscow. At the invitation of the Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the European Union (COMECE), the Commission for Dialogue of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church visited Hilldesheim, Germany from 11-13 February 2002.

The two-day discussions, which were hosted by Dr. Jozef Homaer, Bishop of Hilldesheim, represent the continuation of a high level dialogue, initiated in 2000 in Belgrade, as well as other frequent contacts and various forms of cooperation.

The central themes were the importance of witness of both Churches, especially that which concerns the spiritual side of the process of integration into Europe, human rights, specific questions regarding moral dilemmas for the West (e.g., euthanasia), cooperation in humanitarian assistance, and also perspectives on future relations between COMECE and the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The delegations, aiming for a deeper Christian understanding and holistic view of contemporary pastoral and theological challenges, in benefit of all Europeans, agreed upon a dialogue which will be continued in the middle of next year.

* * *

Also during the past few weeks, Catholics faced problems in Belarus.

In January, Belarus state radio directors agreed to reinstate a weekly broadcast of a Catholic Mass a month after it had been cancelled to make way for the Russian hit parade.

However, they said the program would be cut to half its length and aired from a different location.

Catholics protested at Minsk's Sts. Simeon and Helena Church after the late-December decision to cancel the hour-long Mass, aired live each Sunday since 1993 to around a million listeners in the former Soviet republic.

Speaking January 27, the Church's rector, Father Vladyslav Zvalniuk, said radio directors had agreed to an "improved" 30-minute pre-recorded Mass from the capital's Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral.

Press reports said the unexpected move contradicted a pledge of "full respect for believers of all denominations" that President Aleksander Lukashenka made during a post-Christmas meeting with 87-year-old Cardinal Kazimierz Swiatek.

The reports said government officials had objected to the program's routine inclusion of an opposition-linked hymn, "Powerful God," while non-Catholic listeners had complained about the Mass broadcast and demanded something "more entertaining."

The Catholic Church, whose four dioceses comprise 7 percent of Belarus' mostly Orthodox population of 10.3 million, has complained of discrimination under Lukashenka since he was granted sweeping powers in a 1996 referendum.

* * *

On March 2, Pope John Paul did visit Moscow — via a video link-up.

John Paul II was "virtually present" in the Catholic cathedral of Moscow.

Moscow's Catholics, young people especially, were invited to come to the cathedral to "meet the Pope" during a Saturday prayer service, which was televised throughout Europe.

The television link brought the Pope into the Immaculate Conception Cathedral for the recitation of the Rosary.

One of the five decades, preceded by a brief testimony, was led in Russian by young Muscovites and answered by Catholic young people in other European countries, each in their own respective language — and by Pope John Paul II in Rome.

"This is the first time anything similar has been arranged in Russia," Kondrusiewicz said.

"The meeting, although virtual, will meet to some extent the ardent desire of many Russians, and not only Catholics, to see Pope John Paul II in Moscow," he added.

These expectations come up against concern voiced by nationalist Orthodox who last Friday organized a peaceful demonstration under the windows of the Papal Nunciature in Moscow to protest against Catholic "proselytism."

The demonstrators were promptly answered by Nuncio Archbishop Giorgio Zur. On February 22 he issued a statement telling the protesters they were protesting against their own Catholic countrymen and women, not against the Vatican, and that this was only fostering a climate of intolerance in Russia.

The televised common act of prayer with the Pope was preceded by a solemn Mass for the Unity of Christians in Europe at the Cathedral celebrated by Kondrusiewicz.

The television link brought Moscow's young Catholics with Catholics in Athens, Budapest, Strasbourg, Vienna, Valencia and Rome.

At the end of the prayer, the Pope imparted his Apostolic Blessing on all the participants.

During the video-linkup, Kondrusiewicz fell to his knees and cried out: "Holy Father, we await you in Moscow!"

"I cannot describe the joy in my heart," Kondrusiewicz said later. "For the first time the Pope was among us, even though it was only by television. Now we really await him.

"We will succeed in organizing this trip."

ITV: It was a historic day for the Russian Catholic Church.

Archbishop Kondrusiewicz: Yes, exceptional, it was a day truly willed by God.

We have prayed with the Pope and with thousands of other youths from all over Europe. And then, another special event occurred, but I don't know if . . .

What?

Kondrusiewicz: There were also Orthodox brothers with us in the cathedral, and they prayed with us.

Does Orthodox Patriarch Alexi II really represent such a great obstacle for the Pope's trip to Moscow?

Kondrusiewicz: No. Patriarch Alexi is great, but God is greater.

How did the Orthodox receive the decision to organize this video connection?

Kondrusiewicz: Sparks flew when they learned that the Pope would be connected with us by video, but we expected it.

At this time, they don't miss an occasion to attack the Catholic Church.

And yet, on our part, there is the greatest willingness to dialogue and meet.

We only ask for a meeting to pray. I don't think it is an exaggerated request.

Do they always accuse you of proselytism?

Kondrusiewicz: Yes.

We have no intention to harm the Orthodox Church. They are our brothers in the faith. Why should we rejoice over an eventual weakening on their part?

And yet the facts seems to speak for themselves. The Orthodox Church suffered terribly following the disasters caused by Communism. The process of secularization has been strong over the last decade.

Kondrusiewicz: Yes, the situation is difficult for all. And it is even more so for them, despite their capillary presence.

In Moscow alone, the Orthodox Church has 400 parishes. Last year during Holy Week, the period in which attendance is highest, they reported that the churches received close to 102,000 faithful.

It does not seem an exceptional figure.

Kondrusiewicz: Judge for yourself: in Moscow there are 10 million inhabitants.

What are the numbers for the Catholic Church?

Kondrusiewicz: We have some 600,000 faithful in the whole of Russia. More than 65,000 in Moscow alone, which together with St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad, is the city where the Catholic presence is most numerous.

From the statistical point of view, they are undoubtedly a minority.

Kondrusiewicz: Yes, but this is not what worries us. It would be enough for us to be able to carry out pastoral activities, and we would like to do so without harming anyone, least of all our Orthodox brothers.

Isn't there a possibility to put an end to the arguments and to coexist at least in an atmosphere of reciprocal tolerance if not collaboration?

Kondrusiewicz: For the time being, no. The decision to transform the apostolic administrations into dioceses has elicited great protests from the Orthodox side.

And yet, over the past few months, it seemed that the thaw had begun with the participation of the patriarchate's choir in the Mass at St. Peter's for the Day of Peace, and especially the addresses of Metropolitan Pitirim and of two other important bishops in Assisi.

Kondrusiewicz: In the preceding months we also had numerous positive contacts.

Instead, it seems we have returned to the situation of 10 years ago.

When the Pope created the apostolic administrations and we arrived in Moscow, there was the same climate of frost and mistrust.

Let's hope it will not be another 10 years before a return to normality.

Kondrusiewicz: No, maybe three or four will be enough. Maybe less: three or four months . . .

"Be Faithful"

The February 12 Statement By Patriarch Alexi II Of Moscow And All Russia And The Holy Synod Of The Russian Orthodox Church

It was announced on February 11 in the Vatican that the Pope John Paul II of Rome decided to elevate the status of the administrative structures of the Roman Catholic Church in the territory of Russia to the level of dioceses. From now on the Vatican in its documents will name the territory of our country a "church province" led by a metropolitan.

The Russian Orthodox Church has been presented with a fait accompli, whereas such matters, in our opinion, require a preliminary discussion. We see this step as unfriendly and undermining the prospects for better relations between the two Churches.

Historically the Catholic Church in the territory of our country took pastoral care of the flock that traditionally belonged to it — Poles, Lithuanians, Germans, etc. Precisely for this reason the territory of Russia was not divided into Catholic dioceses and the Catholic ethnic parishes were part of the dioceses of Mogilev and Tiraspol. The establishment of a "church province," a "metropolitanate," means in fact the establishment of a national Catholic Church in Russia having its center in Moscow and claiming the Russian people, who are the flock of the Russian Orthodox Church culturally, spiritually and historically, as its flock.

The formation of such a church in Russia means in fact a challenge to Orthodoxy which has been rooted in the country for centuries. Nothing of this sort has ever happened in the history of our country. Moreover, this form of the organization of Catholic church life is atypical even of Catholic countries where there are no church provinces or dioceses governed actually by a metropolitan.

The fact should be pointed out that in taking care of its faithful in Catholic countries, the Russian Orthodox Church has never tried to establish church institutions parallel to Catholic ones. Our dioceses are established to take care of the Russian-speaking Orthodox diaspora, that is the children of the Russian Church who are far from their Motherland, not to carry out missionary work among the local population. If the Catholic Church worked in Russia with the same tact and good will as we do in Catholic countries, then no difficulties would arise in our relations.

We see as absolutely wrongful the references made by representatives of the Roman Catholic Church to the Catholic structures which existed in Russia before the 1917 Revolution and which they say they restore. Almost all the Roman Catholic dioceses that existed in the Russian empire by the early 20th century were in the territory of what today are Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine and Belorussia and did not have one center in the Russian capital city or any other city. The boundaries of our country as well as the ethnic and confessional composition of its population have considerably changed since. The number of Catholics in the present-day Russia is incomparably smaller than it was in the Russian Empire of the 20th century.

We are convinced that to take care of the Catholics who are not so many in our country it was not necessary to elevate the status of the already existing Catholic church structures, the more so to establish a special church division. Such actions of the Roman Catholic Church, not conditioned by any real pastoral needs, expose the missionary purposes of the changes made. This is corroborated by numerous facts of missionary work carried out by Catholic clergy among the Russian population. This is the activity we call proselytic and keep pointing to as one of the basic obstacles for improving relations between our two Churches.

It is especially regretful that the Vatican has taken this decision just before the next round of official talks between our Churches is to take place in the end of this February. As a result, a serious threat has emerged for the fragile negotiation process, which in its turn will make extremely difficult the settlement of problems and perplexities existing between us.

The leadership of the Roman Catholic Church is now responsible before God and history for a sharp aggravation of our relations, for the frustration of the hope for their normalization that has just begun to shape. The Vatican's action has put in jeopardy the ability of the Catholic West and the Orthodox East to cooperate as two great civilizations for the benefit of Europe and the world. The opportunity for common Christian witness before divided humanity has been sacrificed for momentary benefits.

The question arises: Does the Vatican still regard its relations with the Orthodox Church as those of dialogue and cooperation, as it has continually stated, or it sees Orthodoxy as an undesirable rival? If the latter is the case, any agreement between us is out of the question.

Nevertheless, we continue to remind the Vatican that at a time when the confused world expects the Orthodox and the Catholics to take common public action, we should work together rather than be at enmity. We still have good relations with dioceses, parishes and monasteries of the Catholic Church and cooperation with Catholic humanitarian organizations and educational institutions. These examples make it possible to hope that, whatever difficulties provoked by the Vatican's mistaken policy towards the Russian Orthodox Church, relations between the Orthodox and the Catholics will develop to become an important factor in the preservation of Christian values in the life of Europe and the world.

Addressing our flock, we call them to be faithful to Holy Orthodoxy. Let us respond calmly and peacefully but firmly to any attempts to divide our people spiritually. "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about the truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" (Eph. 6:14-15). — Moscow Patriarchate Press Release, February 12

The Kremlin's View

The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Of The Russian Federation Released The Following Statement On February 13, 2002

The Vatican on February 11 officially announced the decision of John Paul II to create the following dioceses: the Archdiocese of Our Lady in Moscow, Diocese of the Transfiguration in Novosibirsk, the Diocese of St. Clement in Saratov and the Diocese of St. Joseph in Irkutsk, replacing the apostolic administrations there (the now operating temporary Catholic Church structures).

The Holy See also decided to create for the Russian dioceses a unified church province, to be headed by Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz as the metropolitan.

This was caused, in the opinion of the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, by the need to bring its organizational structure into line with the uniform standard of canonical law of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Russian side was informed of this Holy See decision via diplomatic channels on February 4.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while not casting doubt on the right of the Catholic Church to organize itself in conformity with canonical norms, but considering that this question primarily concerns interchurch relations and may be the cause of their serious complication, recommended that the Holy See should refrain at this moment from transforming the apostolic administrations into dioceses and fix that up with the Russian Orthodox Church.

It causes regret that such an important decision was taken without due consideration of the opinion of the Russian side.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates its interest in fostering relations between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches which would rest on an equitable basis and not inflict harm upon the interests of the Russian Orthodox Church. — Press Release, February 13

Russian president Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmilla visited the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexi II in his residence in central Moscow on February 25 to congratulate him on his birthday and name day. According to a RIA Novosti correspondent, Lyudmilla Putin presented the Patriarch with an enormous bouquet of roses, orchids and lilacs.

Congratulating the Patriarch, the president expressed the hope that Alexi II would further contribute to the development of the new Russia on the basis of spiritual values — "something we hold dear to our hearts." The head of state added he highly respected the Patriarch's activities, thanked him for all he was doing for Russia, and wished health and all the best.

In turn, Alexi II remarked that over the past 11 years that he has been heading the Russian Orthodox Church, he found it not easy to steer the ecclesiastic vessel. The Patriarch also said that an increasing number of people needed moral support, and that "the priority now is to save the Russians' souls." (RIA Novosti, February 25)

President Vladimir Putin has sent his greeting to Alexi II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, on the occasion of his name-day. The greeting says, in part: "While holding the responsible post of head of the Russian Orthodox Church, you have been invariably showing an example of consistent protection of the interests of Orthodoxy, sincere care for the welfare of the people, diligence and strength of spirit."

Putin stressed that since his election to the post, Alexi II had made a great contribution to "the definition of the moral vector of Russia" and exerted "noticeable influence on the revival of spiritual and cultural values that are traditional for our Homeland."

"You are energetically developing the constructive collaboration between the Church and the state and consistently upholding the principles of a civilized dialogue between religions," says the greeting. "Your missionary efforts undertaken to strengthen civil peace and accord and implement large-scale social programs deserves deep respect." (RIA Novosti, February 25)

Orthodox Reaction

Moscow, February 22 — Over the past 10 days, representatives of the Russian state have adopted varied positions regarding the Catholic Church's decision to upgrade its four existing ecclesiastical structures in Russia into dioceses.

On February 19, Stepan Medvedko, adviser to the Committee for Religious and Social Organizations of the lower house of parliament, the Duma, confirmed to Keston News Service that on February 15 the Duma passed a motion instructing his Committee to request information from the foreign ministry on "violations of freedom of religion" committed by the Catholic Church in the former Soviet Union and to review "the situation which has arisen in connection with the active proselytism of the Catholic Church in traditionally Orthodox areas." The motion, Medvedko said, was passed with a clear majority of approximately two-thirds. Proposing the motion, according to RIA Novosti, Duma vice-chairman Vladimir Zhirinovsky additionally called on the foreign ministry "not to give visas to representatives of the Vatican in connection with the heightened circumstances and their willful actions in changing the status of Catholic dioceses."

On February 18, Aleksandr Dugin, adviser to the Duma on geopolitical issues, reportedly alleged that the Vatican's decision to form fully-fledged dioceses in Russia was made under pressure from Washington. Since the move constituted "a colossal anti-Orthodox and therefore anti-Russian step," explained Dugin, it would upset the recent rapprochement between Russia and Europe and hence prevent the formation of "a new political bloc in which America's role would be weakened."

Speaking at a press conference held in RIA Novost on February 15, the head of the Catholic Church in Russia, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, characterized the Russian foreign ministry's February 12 statement as "incomprehensible" and "late." Kondrusiewicz said that the ministry's reaction when the papal nuncio to Russia, Archbishop Giorgio Zur, informed them of the Catholic Church's plans on February 4 was "fine" and "completely different" from the February 12 statement.

On February 19, Vladimir Ashurkov, an official at the Press and Information Department of the foreign ministry, said that he was unable to add anything to the February 12 statement. "We issued what we considered was expedient," he said. While aware of the February 15 Duma motion, he declined to make any comment on it.

On February 13, NTV new agency reported another foreign ministry official, Yevgeni Voronin, as maintaining that the statement "simply set out the ministry's position regarding the question of dioceses, since the Vatican is not only the head of the Roman Catholic Church, but constitutes a state with which Russia has normal diplomatic relations." (Relations between Russia and the Vatican are in fact only at the level of "working contacts," not full diplomatic relations.)

Referring to the February 12 statement on the February 14 edition of the staunchly patriotic television program Russky Dom, presenter Aleksandr Krutov maintained that, by stipulating that the dioceses issue was interconfessional, the ministry was alleging that the Vatican had not violated Russian law. "But the Vatican state has set up its structures on our territory, it is both ridiculous and sad to hear state officials using such language," he said.

Interviewed on a further, February 17 edition of the program, the Russian Orthodox Church's Metropolitan Sergi of Solnechnogorsk spoke of his hope that "every believer will make a constructive contribution towards the task of non-acceptance of Catholicism." In this task, he continued, "a very large foundation-stone" should be formed by the position of the state. Krutov responded that in this regard the foreign ministry had "initially hesitated; with varied and incomprehensible statements," and called upon the state to take a stand against the "spiritual expansion of Catholicism" in the interests of self-preservation. The Metropolitan was in full agreement: "If [the state] misses the chance currently open to it then it could end in tragedy," he told Russky Dom viewers.

Speaking on February 19, Medvedko commented that the dioceses issue demanded the attention of the state authorities as it could potentially lead to serious conflict. While criticizing the Vatican's move from an ethical point of view, he acknowledged that it had acted within the law. In Medvedko's view, the issue is one of interconfessional rather than Church-state relations, so that it was "best for the state to take up a neutral position." When Keston pointed out that the Vatican was also a state, Medvedko maintained that in the given situation it had acted as a religious center: "After all, they didn't reform an embassy here." (Geraldine Fagan for KNS, February 22)

A group of prominent cultural personalities of Russia have voiced support for the Russian Orthodox Church, which has to counter new attempts of Catholic expansion in this country. Uruna Arkhipova, Mikhail Ulyanov, Boris Pokrovsky, Lyudmila Zykina, Igor Moiseyev, Ilya Glazunov, Nikolai Nikandrov, Vladimir Krupin, Yuri Solomin, Tatiana Doronina and many others have expressed emphatic disagreement with the decision of the Vatican to create on the territory of Russia four Catholic dioceses without consulting Russians.

"We state openly that Russia is an Orthodox Christian country. Our history, our culture and national character are permeated with the ideas of Orthodox Christianity, and the presence of Catholic missionaries in Holy Russia is an insult to our old Orthodox culture," says a statement adopted by them. In their opinion, the step taken by the Vatican "is actually an open challenge to the country, whose whole life is inseparably connected with the traditions of Orthodox Christianity."

The authors of the statement warned against negative consequences the step might have and stressed that it "distorts the cultural make-up of our nation, again draws a dividing line between the East and the West and turns the relations between confessions into a 'religious market.'"

They expressed hope that the Vatican would soon realize it had made a mistake. (Olga Kostromina for Itar-Tass, February 22)

His Beatitude the Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius IV has expressed his opinion about the Vatican's activities in Russia. On February 18, 2002 His Beatitude received Archimandrite Elisey, the representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, at the Antiochian Patriarchate.

In the course of the conversation that took place, His Beatitude announced that he had received with profound concern the Vatican's recent decision to establish Catholic dioceses and to create a single "ecclesiastical province" on the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church.

His Beatitude declared that he condemns these actions, considering them to be a serious obstacle to constructive dialogue between the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches, and [that] he intends to convey this to Pope John Paul II.

The Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Church expressed his point of view that all the Local Churches should react in a coordinated and concerted manner to this action by the leadership of the Catholic Church. (Press Release, Moscow Patriarchate, February 22)

A Visa Problem

A few months back, Polish-born Bishop Jerzy Mazur was hopeful that his permanent residency situation in Russia was stabilizing, allowing him to make long-range plans for his far-flung diocese.

These include promoting Russian vocations, developing social services for the general population and reviving the faith of 1 million people in Eastern Siberia with Catholic roots, he said.

In an interview, the bishop added that he spends a lot of time deflecting criticisms that the Catholic Church is a sect.

This stems from the information gap about the church after more than 70 years of communist rule, he said.

Bishop Mazur is apostolic administrator of Eastern Siberia, where 50,000 Catholics are spread out over a 4 million square-mile territory. He was interviewed Aug. 1 while visiting officials of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The 48-year-old bishop said he expects to get his permanent residency request granted soon. Right now he is working on a one-year visa, meaning that he has to apply for a new one when it expires, a process requiring him to leave the country.

"I am optimistic. You can't be a missionary without optimism," he said of his permanent residency request. He is a member of the Society of the Divine Word, a missionary order.

The residency visa is a preliminary step to getting Russian citizenship, he said.

Under Russian law, citizenship requires either five years of consecutive residency or marriage to a Russian.

The bishop said he will apply under the five-year rule. He has lived in Russia for three years.

Getting residency visas for clergy and religious has been a problem in post-communist Russia as he church has had to rely on foreigners because church institutions were virtually non-existent in Siberia under communist rule.

Bishop Mazur said he has priests and religious working in his jurisdiction from nine countries, including the United States. These include 39 foreign priests and two recently ordained Russian priests for his 42 registered parishes and 57 communities of believers that still are not registered under Russian law.

The jurisdiction also has 40 foreign women religious, he said. Only five have permanent residency visas, he said.

But the situation is improving as government officials get to know him and the workings of the Catholic Church, he said.

At first, many of the foreigners had to leave the country every three months to get temporary residency visas, but now only a few are in this situation, he said.

Much of the general population thinks the Church is a sect because of poor information about Catholics, he said.

"I have to explain that one in every six persons in the world is a Catholic," Bishop Mazur said.

Another problem is that many Catholic worship centers are built in apartments because the church lacks the funds to build church buildings, he said.

"Sects gather mostly in houses. People say, 'If you are a real church you should have a nice building,'" he said.

Deeds are another way of showing what Catholicism is, Mazur said. Programs include organizing social services for children with AIDS, drug addicts, prisoners, orphans and the elderly, he said.

"We are showing that we are helping everyone, not just Catholics. We see our neighbor in each person who needs help," the bishop said. Vocations programs include youth retreats during school vacation, he said.

"We show them the different vocations in the church, one of which is the priesthood," the bishop said.

Bishop Mazur is also optimistic about making inroads in the 1 million Siberians who have Catholic roots, but have little or no knowledge of the church.

These are people of Polish, German, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Belarus or Korean origin, he said.

"Their grandparents or great-grandparents were Catholic," he said.

To reach these people, Mazur said he started training catechists three years ago and more than 100 have finished courses.

He predicted that it will be a long time before the church in Siberia is self-sufficient in personnel and money.

"Our community is small in Siberia and the poverty is big," he said. (Agostino Bono, CNS)

Archbishop Kondrusiewicz Responds To Alexi II's Accusations

Moscow, February 15, 2002 — Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, of the newly established Catholic Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, asked the Vatican agency Fides to distribute the following statement, in response to misunderstanding by the Russian Orthodox regarding the recent creation of Catholic dioceses in Russia.

Interference In Internal Affairs Of The Catholic Church In Russia Continues

Declaration By Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz

1. Considering that:

a. religious communities have the right to self-organization according to their own hierarchic and institutional structures;

b. it is the duty of the Pope and the Bishops of the Catholic Church to ensure normal conditions for pastoral care of Catholics;

c. the normal structure of the Catholic Church according to Canon Law is a diocese and an ecclesiastical province (Metropolitan);

d. the act of raising of existing Apostolic Administrations in Russia to the rank of permanent dioceses, on February 11, 2002, did not break Russian law;

e. this step, necessary for Catholics in Russia, was taken after both the Russian authorities and the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church had been informed according to international practice.

We are perplexed and seriously concerned about the interference in internal affairs of the Catholic Church in Russia, which in the past few days has become so evident.

We are convinced that the Catholics of the Russian Federation have the same rights as citizen members of other religions, and that the legitimate exercising of these rights may not under any circumstances by publicly questioned, or become the object of political speculation.

2. Moreover we feel it is our duty to publicly confute statements contained in the public declaration by the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexi II and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on February 12, 2002, which do not correspond the truth.

3. In the declaration it is said that the form instituted in Russia "of Catholic ecclesiastical life is not typical even of Catholic countries where there are no ecclesiastical provinces with dioceses administered by a Metropolitan."

This affirmation is false. The Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church states that for common pastoral action of various neighboring dioceses, and the more closely to foster relations between diocesan Bishops, dioceses bordering on each other are united by the supreme authority in the Church in Ecclesiastical Provinces (cf. Can 431).

The head of the Ecclesiastic Province is the Metropolitan, who is Archbishop of his own Archdiocese. The office of Metropolitan is linked to an Episcopal see, determined or approved by the Roman Pontiff (cf. Can. 435). There are Archdioceses and Metropolitans in many countries for example the Archdioceses and Metropolitans of Paris, Washington, Prague, Milan, Warsaw (Poland alone has 13 archdioceses) and also in former USSR territories Riga, Minsk-Mogilev, Vilnius, Kaunas, Lvov.

The other dioceses which are part of the ecclesiastical province are called "suffragan dioceses." The authority of the Metropolitan in their regard is defined by Canon Law:

a. to see that faith and ecclesiastical discipline are carefully observed and to notify the Roman Pontiff if there be any abuses; (cf. Can 436,1);

b. for a reason approved beforehand by the Apostolic See, to conduct a canonical visitation if the suffragan Bishop has neglected it; (cf. Can 436,1);

c. to appoint a diocesan Administrator of a vacant Episcopal see when he is not appointed within 8 days (cf. Can 436,1);

d. The Metropolitan has no other power of governance over suffragan dioceses. (cf. Can 436,3);

4. The declaration of the Hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church states that "the territory of Russia has never been divided into dioceses."

We wish to recall that:

a. diocesan structures of the Catholic Church existed in southern Russia as early as the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 17th and 18th centuries there existed the diocese of Smolensk;

b. the See (center) of the Archdiocese of Mogliev was the capital of the Russian Empire, St. Petersburg, while the diocese of Tiraspol had Sarataov as its See. What is more in 1923 the diocese of Vladivostok was established. The Archbishop of Mogliev was called Metropolitan of all Catholic Churches in the Russian Empire;

c. since the establishing of the Archdiocese of Mogliev, until the last Archbishop Jan Cepljak, sentenced to death in 1923 and exiled, 27 pastors occupied the See of St. Petersburg.

d. also within the present-day territory of he Kaliningrad region the Catholic Church had structures; this means that within the present day boundaries of the Russian Federation there were Catholic dioceses, and Archdiocese which had it Metropolitan Archbishop and suffragan dioceses.

5. Taking all that is written above into consideration, we think that the alteration of the status of the structures of the Catholic Church in Russia and the institution of an ecclesiastical province cannot be seen as the creation of a new Catholic structure parallel to the Russian Orthodox Church.

In the first place the dioceses do not bear the name of the city in which they have their See. We have not the Archbishop of Moscow or for Russia, but an Archbishop in Moscow.

In the second place the Russian Orthodox Church has an Archbishop of Vilnius for Lithuania, of Brussels for Belgium, of Berlin for Germany and no member of the Catholic Church would raise any objection because the appointment of Archbishops is an internal affair of the Russian Orthodox Church which appoints it pastors according to necessity.

In the third place the Metropolitan has no effective power in the other dioceses which are autonomous and are administrated by their own Bishops.

6. The declaration in question, for the umpteenth time, denounces numerous episodes of missionary activity on the part of Catholic clergy among the Russian people. "We consider this activity proselytism and we continue to identify it as one of the main obstacles to improving relations between our Churches," the document states.

For our part, over the last eleven years we have repeatedly asked the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church to bring to confrontation concrete facts and begin at last to evaluate concrete facts of Catholic proselytism in Russia. We want to know where, when, under which circumstances and who has engaged or is engaging in activity of proselytism. Unfortunately as yet we have received no information whatever in this regard, just as we have received no reply to our invitation to sit around a table and define the significance of the term "proselytism."

7. Despite the tension created in relations between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church I hope, and I pray to God, that dialogue may continue and that it may bear fruit. I am convinced that the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church can respond together to the challenges of our day for the good of human civilization. — Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, Moscow, February 13, 2002

"There Is No Alternative To Ecumenism"

Vatican Ecumenist Hopes To Visit Moscow To Mend Fences With Orthodox

Vatican City — The Vatican's top ecumenist, Cardinal Walter Kasper, said he hoped to travel to Moscow sometime this year to begin mending the "serious damage" to Catholic-Orthodox relations.

Cardinal Kasper said the Russian Orthodox Church's reaction in mid-February to the Vatican's establishment of four dioceses in Russia showed that the Orthodox have a "big misunderstanding" of Catholic intentions.

Meanwhile, a Vatican spokesman said the Orthodox reaction raised the question of whether Orthodox leaders really want to respect the religious rights of all believers.

And in a statement from Moscow, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz accused the Russian Orthodox of interference in Catholic affairs and challenged them to prove their allegations that the Catholic Church was proselytizing among the Orthodox.

Cardinal Kasper spoke to Vatican Radio February 15, two days after the Russian Orthodox asked him to cancel a planned ecumenical visit to Moscow February 21-22.

Cardinal Kasper said he still hoped to make the trip, "not this month, and perhaps not next month, but during this year."

The establishment of dioceses was sharply criticized by the Russian Orthodox Church, which saw the move as another step in Catholic expansionism in what it considers Orthodox territory.

Cardinal Kasper said the episode marked an ecumenical setback. "It's a serious damage, I think, but it's not for eternity," he said. "I think it will change again, because this is a big misunderstanding of the Moscow Patriarchate," he said. "We don't want to make proselytism, we want to care for our Catholic people in Russia.

"When one or two Orthodox people want to become Catholic, we have to recognize it, that's freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. But it's not our intention," he said. He said he hoped to get the dialogue back on track through more personal meetings and an emphasis on the many things Catholics and Orthodox have in common. He said the biggest obstacle in Catholic-Orthodox relations was lack of trust, not faith issues.

"The Orthodox are closest to us, and we must go on in dialogue with them. There is no alternative to ecumenism," he said. (John Thavis, CNS)

Cardinal Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, addressed a Plenary Meeting of that Council in November 2001. In the following excerpt he described the current state of relations with the Oriental and Orthodox churches:

"Firstly, the dialogue with the Oriental and the Orthodox Churches. Theologically they are nearest to us. Since 1980 we have achieved good and profound results in the dialogue. The exchange of delegates between Rome and Constantinople for respective feast days, and the visits to Moscow, Bucharest and many other centers prove that the new spirit exists despite all the problems, which have arisen, especially with the Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, in reference to the situation in the Western Ukraine. But although these churches are theologically very close to us, they are extremely remote both mentally and culturally, much more so than the Protestant ecclesial communities. This often creates suspicion and misunderstandings and makes the dialogue sometimes difficult and emotional.

"The tensions evident on the universal level correspond to tensions among these churches themselves. Today they find themselves in a new situation. For the first time in their long history, most of them are free — free from the Byzantine emperors, from the Ottoman rulers, from the tsar, from communist oppression and persecution. Thus the Orthodox world today is confronted by a new situation, and the churches need time to find their direction and to define their identity. This requires time and patience on our side. But it also creates fear and tensions among the churches, and fosters the temptation to close in upon themselves. Moreover, during the time of persecution many of their members fled to the West. Now these churches are no longer only Eastern churches but have a large diaspora in Europe, America and Australia, and therefore within the pluralistic Western culture. This is also a new situation that, up to now, has not yet found a satisfactory solution. The problem and the accusation of proselytism and so-called 'uniatism' is to some degree a projection of fear and a form of self-protection.

"However, the demand of the Orthodox churches to discuss and solve first the problem of 'uniatism' before continuing with the agreed agenda of the dialogue has led to a dead end.

"How can we solve these problems without speaking about the Petrine ministry which is the very rational of the existence of the Catholic Oriental churches?

"After the sad experiences at the last Plenary of the Joint International Theological Commission in Emmitsburg/Baltimore, I do not see how we can continue with the dialogue on this level. Thanks to God, good relations continue with single Patriarchates and on the regional level, the level of bishops' conferences, of dioceses, monasteries, of many personal contacts and of institutions like Church in Need, Renovabis and others." — Cardinal Walter Kasper

Kirill On The Decision To Create Dioceses — And On The Icon Of Kazan . . .

The Following Two Reports Are From Russian News Agencies

As the Russian Orthodox Church sees it, its contacts with the Roman Catholic Church are frozen in an utter dead end, said Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department of External Church Relations, as he was addressing an audience at Moscow's State Institute of International Relations.

He cited one of the latest manifestations of a cold spell — a cancelled visit to Moscow, previously scheduled for the month's end, by Cardinal Walter Kasper, one of the most prominent dignitaries of the Vatican, and head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Metropolitan Kirill blames the Holy See alone for the controversy, with a papal resolution recently prepared without duly notifying the Russian Orthodox Church to establish four dioceses in the Catholic Church in Russia — with their sees in Moscow, Novosibirsk, Saratov and Irkutsk — instead of currently available provisional aspostolic administrations.

The sheer presence of dioceses envisages particular territories going under their jurisdiction with the entire population to be regarded as the Roman Catholic flock, warns Metropolitan Kirill.

Interchurch contacts are going on despite all, and the Russian Orthodox Church is willing to make agreements with the Holy See — in particular, to obtain guarantees of a "correct status" of Catholic presence in Russia, said the hierarch. (Anna Bobina for Novosti, February 19)

The issue of sending the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, now in the Vatican, back to Russia should be decided in line with legal standards in a court of law, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, head of the Foreign Relations Division of the Russian Orthodox Church, told the press in Moscow on February 21.

The icon was stolen, so it is up to Interpol to find it, Metropolitan Kirill said, "It is now officially in the Vatican and the Russian Church is told that the icon will be sent back under certain circumstances," he said.

The Church "will never ask a court to have the Kazan icon sent back because, in addition to acting under the law, there must be activities motivated by one's conscience," Metropolitan Kirill said.

He made it clear that the Vatican had not given this a thought in setting up four dioceses in Russia. That action was not against the law but it was improper and not brotherly, he said.

The Vatican's Second Council has recognized the Orthodox Church as a sister Church where mysteries are performed and souls are saved, Metropolitan Kirill recalled. For this reason those who plan to use the new dioceses to convert Orthodox Russian into Roman Catholics act in contravention of their church's principles.

The Vatican is trying "to cash in on Russia's national tragedy, the genocide of Orthodox Christians in Soviet years," Metropolitan Kirill said. "Christian solidarity must be manifested in action," he said. "We view Orthodox-Catholic relations through the prism of our historic tragedy," he said.

"It is important for Europe and the entire world that the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church engage in dialogue and learn to respond jointly to the challenges of today's world. If, however, the very possibility to act jointly is destroyed for the sake of short-term gains, the Russian Church mourns this situation," Metropolitan Kirill said. (The Russian news agency Interfax, February 21)

© 2001 Robert Moynihan

This item 4296 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org