At the end of the celebration of the Jan. 7 vigil of Orthodox Christmas in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, the patriarch talked with the apostolic nuncio to the Russian Federation, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, and with recently appointed Archbishop Paolo Pezzi of the Mother of God Archdiocese.

Archbishop Mennini told Vatican Radio that Alexy II offered his congratulations to Benedict XVI, expressing as well his closeness and fraternity.

"The patriarch beckoned the new archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God and me to approach. Together, we kissed the cross with which the faithful had been blessed," Archbishop Mennini said. "After I'd introduced the new archbishop, the patriarch told him he was open to meeting with him soon, not only to get to know him better, but also to study together common pastoral projects benefiting the faithful of the region of Moscow.

"He said that the faithful who live in the region of Moscow are entrusted as much to my pastoral care as to yours and because of this we have to work and collaborate together."

Alexy II then asked them again to offer the Pope his fervent best wishes for the New Year just begun. The patriarch added that "his sentiments and those of the Russian Orthodox Church are inspired by motives of great respect and great fraternity," Archbishop Mennini continued.

The papal representative in Russia said he thinks this gesture "confirms a tendency toward collaboration that can be seen not only on a theoretical level, but also on a practical level."

He mentioned a Dec. 28 meeting of a Catholic-Orthodox commission, planned some time ago, as proof of the common desire for collaboration.

Archbishop Mennini added, "It seems to me that there are no longer problems that the two sides cannot address openly and freely, without running the risk of breaking off relations, above all without running the risk of destroying the climate of trust and dialogue, based on reciprocal respect."

D.C. Concert Prompts a Russian Surprise

Orthodox Bishop's Christmas Oratorio Continues Tour

ROME, JAN. 10, 2008 (Zenit.org).- A Christmas concert written by an Orthodox bishop and performed in a U.S. Catholic church gave a Russian politician the chance to put Christ at the center of a holiday increasingly secularized by the West.

This was the "most surprising moment" of the world premiere of Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev's "Christmas Oratorio" in Washington, D.C., according to Robert Moynihan, editor in chief of the Catholic magazine Inside the Vatican.

After its world premiere in the United States in December, the oratorio was performed Monday in Moscow, on the feast of Orthodox Christmas.

Moynihan told ZENIT: "Americans and Russians, Catholics and Russian Orthodox, worked together for many months to bring to America a very special exhibit on the renewal of spiritual life in Russia since the collapse of communism in 1991.

"Perhaps the most surprising moment was when the Russian minister of culture, Alexander Sokolov, introduced the concert in the [Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception], referring specifically to the joy he felt at participating in a Christmas concert commemorating the birth of 'our Lord Jesus Christ.'

"This reference by a leading public official and member of Putin's cabinet, seemed remarkable to many who heard it, as if there were a profound Christian sensibility in contemporary Russia, perhaps even more so than in the West, where politically correct thinking has increasingly kept Christ out of Christmas. Minister Sokolov set Christ at the center. What this means in unclear, but it certainly seems significant."

Archbishop Paolo Pezzi of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow attended Monday's performance of the Oratorio in Russia. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II sent a message, delivered on his behalf by Bishop Alexander of Dmitrov.

The oratorio, which consists of 28 parts and lasts for just over an hour, was performed by the Tchaikovsky Great Symphony Orchestra together with the Choir of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Youth Choir of the Musical College by the Moscow Conservatory and a group of soloists from the Moscow Boys' Choir Capella, conducted by Alexy Puzakov.

In Washington, the oratorio was performed by the same choirs, and the Russian Defense Ministry Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Valery Khalilov. The D.C. Boys Choir joined the 180 Russian musicians at the finale.

Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington and his predecessor, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, were also present.