Russian Orthodox Church opens up: “We have common challenges with Francis”

Anna Zafesova
At the end of November Vladimir Putin will be visiting the Vatican for the fourth time since 2000. But expectations and suspense are high ahead of the Russian president’s meeting with Pope Francis, even though Moscow has not yet officially confirmed the visit. All it has said is that “agreements need to be reached.” Russia’s relationship with the Holy Seehas been tense for the past twenty years  and Moscow may be hoping that an innovative Pope like Francis, who comes from the New World and appears detached from all the bitterness of the Cold War, could be the man to cautiously bring about a turning point.

This appears to be the underlying hope of the congratulatory message the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russias, Kirill, sent to the new Pope, emphasising the common challenges faced by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Only a few days ago, the Synod’s choir sung in the Vatican: a small gesture which is not to be overlooked in the context of the delicate diplomatic relations between the two churches.

The first and third Rome have not been on good terms since the early 90’s, when a revived Orthodox Church reignited its age-old hostility accusing the Vatican of proselytism, despite the scarce presence of Catholics. While Wojtyla dreamt of a visit to Russia, Moscow was passing legislation that treated Catholics differently from other “traditional” denominations (Orthodoxy, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam), presenting them with legal and bureaucratic hurdles to make their life harder. The establishment of four new dioceses led to a big rift, with countless Catholic priests being expelled from the country and an almost total freeze in dialogue between the two faiths. The Polish and anti-communist John Paul II didn’t help ease the tensions as a figure; particularly tensions over the secrets of Fatima which the Orthodox see as confirmation of the Catholic Church’s attempt to forcibly convert people and the issue of the Polish priests whom Wojtyla had sent as apostolic delegates to Russia. The Russian Church breathed a sigh of relief when Ratzinger came on the scene with his conservative rhetoric but now Francis is Pope, it hopes for a turning point. In the early days of his pontificate Francis even prayed for Kirill on the feast day of St. Cyril. The Patriarch praised Bergoglio’s social commitment, emphasising his Argentinean background and has called for a common effort to defend traditional values from “aggressive liberalism”.

Putin has a delicate mission ahead of him. Befriending the “third-worlder” Pope could ease controversies between the Kremlin and the US and EU. But the president has forged an alliance with the Patriarchate, creating an image of himself among icons and monasteries, an opponent of gay friendly laws and a champion of the faith. If he shows too much rapport with Pope Francis, this will not go down well with traditionalists. Meanwhile though, Francis has become quite popular in the Russian media, which compare his austerity to the lavish lifestyles of the Orthodox clergy. The case of the clumsily doctored photograph which made an expensive watch worn by Kirill magically disappear, is still fresh in people’s memories.

© http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it - november 8th 2013