Paris, Oct. 5, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Planning for a "summit meeting" between Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Alexei would be premature unless disputes between the Rome and Moscow are resolved, according to the top ecumenical official of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk told reporters that no plans have been made for a meeting between the Pope and the Patriarch, although both Orthodox and Catholic leaders hope that such an encounter will soon take place. Metropolitan Kirill said that the Moscow patriarchate hopes to resolve key differences with the Vatican before going forward with plans for a summit.
The Russian Orthodox Church has regularly complained about Catholic "proselytism" in Eastern Europe, and the activities of Eastern-rite Catholic communities. These issues should be resolved, the Moscow patriarchate argues, before Patriarch Alexei meets Pope Benedict.
Regarding where such a meeting would eventually take place, the Russian prelate declined to be specific. "Church leaders should meet in a place where both would feel at home," he told reporters in Paris, where he is accompanying Patriarch Alexei on a visit to France.