Pope welcomes Russian Orthodox-Polish Catholic pledge of reconciliation

August 20, 2012

Pope Benedict XVI hailed a historic joint statement by Russian Orthodox and Polish Catholic leaders, as he addressed a public audience on August 19.

At the conclusion of his Sunday audience, the Pope told the crowd at Castel Gandolfo that a statement last week, signed by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and Polish Catholic Archbishop Jozef Michalik of Przemysl, was “an important event, which gives us hope for the future.” The joint statement called for reconciliation between the peoples of Poland and Russia, who have been separated by centuries of hostility and mistrust.

Pope Benedict sent his greetings to Patriarch Kirill, who is visiting Poland, and welcomed the statement that pledged the Russian Orthodox and Polish Catholic communities “to develop a brotherly relationship and to collaborate in spreading the principles of the Gospel across today’s world in the spirit of a shared belief in Jesus Christ.”

 

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Further information:

• Pope: Orthodox-Catholic Meeting Raises Hope (AP)
• Pope: “Jesus did not seek supporters” (Vatican Insider)
• Pope: Rediscover the beauty of the Eucharist (Vatican Radio)
• Russian, Polish prelates call for end to old hostilities (CWN, 8/17)