Showing posts with label Patriarch Kirill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patriarch Kirill. Show all posts

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Russian Orthodoxy Sees Progress in the Dialogue with Catholics

Moscow Metropolitan Hilarion in newspaper interview: A lot has happened in the past ten years - progress also in the political relationship between Russia and the Holy See

Rome (kath.net/KAP) Russia's Orthodox Church sees a "significant step" in dialogue with the Catholic Church. In the last ten years, much has been done in relation to each other. As well as between Russia and the Holy See, said the Foreign Minister of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolit Hilarion, the Italian daily "Il sole 24 ore" (Thursday). There is consensus on current problems such as the loss of spiritual values ​​and Christian persecution. "This is a problem which disturb both the Orthodox Church and the Holy See in all of our soul, and drives us to unite our forces to find a common solution," the Metropolitan said.

Hilarion spoke on the occasion of the upcoming Moscow visit by Cardinal Secretary Pietro Parolin from Sunday to Thursday. His main themes he identified as the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine; Also a peace solution for Syria would surely be an issue. Parolin's visit could help to approach different perspectives and find common solutions to different problems, says Hilarion, who will also meet with Parolin himself. "I will discuss with him the full range of bilateral relations between the Russian Orthodox and the Catholic Church, and hope that we can set new perspectives for further development."

With regard to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, he said that this was still "the most delicate issue in the relations of the two churches." At the same time, the foreign official of the Moscow Patriarchate in the interview appreciates the admission of full diplomatic relations between Russia and the Vatican in 2009 as well as the historic first meeting of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kiril I in Havana, Cuba in 2016, resulting in strengthening the collaboration of both churches.

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG 





Monday, March 7, 2016

Pope Receives Major Archbishop Schewtuschuk, to Calm the Waves After the Cuba Meeting with the Moscow Patriarch

Major Archbishop Schewtschuk and Pope Francis: Ukrainian Catholics
Concerned and Discouraged by Rome [Who isn't?]
(Rome) The waves, because of the historic meeting between Pope Francis and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow, have not been smoothed in Ukraine. The Greek Catholic Ukrainians, about 12 percent of the population, feel "betrayed". They accuse the Pope of representing too pro-Russian a line. To dispelled the fears, Francis  received a delegation of the Uniate Ukrainians last Saturday  in the Vatican.
The meeting between the two heads of churches on 12 February on the Caribbean island of Cuba earned general praise, but not in Ukraine. The apostolic nuncio tried in February to reassure the Greek Catholics. The day after the meeting in Havana, Nuncio Claudio Gugerotti went  so far as to explain to  the Ukrainians united with Rome in Kiev, they should simply "forget" the "Joint Declaration " of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow. It is a counsel, which, considering  a conflict that has been brewing for centuries, and has meant persecution and oppression to the Uniates, is not sufficient. Certainly not, since an armed territorial dispute prevails in  Eastern Ukraine  between Ukraine and Russia. At the same time the nuncio assured the Uniate Ukrainians that Pope Francis was "close" to them.
The head, of the Orthodox Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, who has been in union with Rome since the 16th century, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych, translated on 13 February, the words of the Nuncio for his confreres into Ukrainian, but not sparing his comments.

Uniates see themselves as the Eastern Orthodox Church, which adheres to the agreement of 1439

The Uniate Ukrainians, some five million believers, see themselves as representatives of the historical reconciliation of Western and Eastern Church at the Council of Florence of 1439. The remaining of  orthodoxy  approved the agreement of Florence, and  sealed it with their signatures  but then they  have not kept it. It's a breach of contract which the Uniates refused to join. The Orthodox churches, especially the Russian Orthodox Church,  see in contrast the Uniates as renegade Orthodox, which  serve as "bait" by Rome.
The Moscow Patriarchate, according to estimates has 150 million believers worldwide, considers the Ukraine part of the Rus. In recent decades  Rome was expected to  retreat to the pastoral care of  Latin Catholics. That's three percent of Ukrainians. The question of Unitarianism was illuminated the historian Roberto de Mattei: The "historic" meeting between Francis and Kiril  ).

Pope Francis receives Greek Catholic Ukrainians in Vatican

As the words of the Nuncio were not enough to calm the Uniate Ukrainians, Pope Francis on Saturday, March 5, received the Major Archbishop Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych and other bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the Vatican. Ukrainians reiterated here that the encounter between Pope and Patriarch have been "prophetic" per se. But they have expressed at the same time also their unease over the political part of the "Joint Declaration" of Havana.
Rome states that the essential aim of the "Joint Declaration" is the creation of an alliance between Catholics and Orthodox against the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.  Moscow also spoke of an alliance against the "crisis of the family", "against abortion and gay marriage."
While the Greek Ukrainians were shocked that the statement in the form of union with Rome is referred to as "outdated",  Metropolitan Hilarion, the "Foreign Minister of the Moscow Patriarchate" showed himself to be happy "about it and spoke of satisfaction that had befallen the Russian Orthodox Church. The Declaration of Metropolitan Hilarion was published last Friday by the Osservatore Romano as an editorial.  For the Russian Orthodox "Foreign Minister", the declaration is a step toward a "durable peace" in Ukraine.

Yves Hamant: Political Part of the explanation of Havana "is" Moscow

For the French Russia expert Yves Hamant, that it is "evident that the meeting serves the  political interests" of both Patriarch Kirill  just as much as Russia's President Vladimir Putin . "Kirill is recognized by the pope as the head of a community of a country where religion flourishes, while much of the rest of Europe is completely secularized."
Through the meeting, said Hamant, Francis had recognized the Moscow Patriarch  as equal, as in Orthodoxy all the patriarchs have the same rank.
Barely an hour after the signing of the "Joint Declaration," Pope Francis showed himself, however, already worried about the political orientation of the document. In the airplane on the way to Mexico he tried to minimize the political side. "This is not a political statement, it is not a sociological statement, it is a pastoral statement," said the Catholic Church leader.
The Greek Catholics of Ukraine saw it differently and are  still concerned. Then there was also the secrecy which formed ahead of the meeting in Cuba. The declaration was negotiated without the involvement of Ukrainian Catholics.
Kirill told the Russian news agency, Interfax that before signing, only five people on his staff knew the content of the "Joint Declaration."   "It is impossible to prepare for an event of this kind in public," said the Patriarch.
Last Saturday Rome has tried to address the concerns and fears of the Uniate Ukrainians.  Has it  succeeded?
Text: Giuseppe Nardi 
Image: Cruxnow (Screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Moscow Patriarchate Denies Reports of Francis-Kirill Meeting

The Russian Orthodox Church rules out any get-together when the two leaders travel to Cuba and Mexico in February. A report about a possible meeting in a third country recently appeared in Italian media.

Moscow (AsiaNews) – The Moscow Patriarchate has denied recent reports in Italian media of a possible meeting next month in Latin America between the pope and the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

"The Patriarch and the Pope's Latin American visit programs do not intersect," said Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), Russian Orthodox Church's spokesman for inter-Christian relations.

"The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church and the head of the Roman Catholic one will be visiting completely different countries, albeit on the same continent," he added.


http://m.asianews.it/news-en/Moscow-Patriarchate-denies-reports-about-a-Kirill-Francis-meeting-in-Latin-America-36509.html

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Patriarch Kirill Asks for Pardon of Asia Bibi



In a letter to Hussain, Kirill warns: "There is the risk of jeopardizing the dialogue and relations between Christians and Muslims not only in Pakistan but all over the world."

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has sent a letter to the President of Pakistan Himari Hussain asking him to pardon Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy.

The primate of the Russian Orthodox Church writes, "it would be an irreparable loss for her family, her near and dear, cause a great damage to the Muslim-Christian dialogue and could also aggravate tension between Christians and Muslims both in Pakistan and in the entire world".



http://m.asianews.it/index.php?art=32622&l=en

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Russian Patriarch Warns That Aberromarriage Leads to Apocalypse


MOSCOW, July 21 (RIA Novosti) – Head of the Russian Orthodox Church warned Western governments on Sunday against legalization of same-sex marriages what he called a sign of approaching end of the world.
Patriarch Kirill said during a service at Moscow’s major cathedral that the recent initiatives in a range of countries to legalize same-sex marriages “is a dangerous and apocalyptic symptom” that should not spread over to Russia, according to Russian media reports.
While those who “fight the laws imposed by the minority are subject to repressions,” Kirill, who leads the Church known for its conservative views, was quoted as saying during his speech at Kazan Cathedral near Red Square on Sunday.
Russian authorities have been repeatedly criticized by human rights groups and Western officials over a recently passed law introducing punishment for “the promotion of nontraditional sexual relationships” among minors.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Patriarch Kirill Blessed Putin for Highest Office in Russia

Moscow, May 11, Interfax - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia prayed for Putin's wise governance on Monday, the day of his inauguration.

"Majority of our people deliberately, reasonably and freely have chosen you the President of the Russian Federation. Today we ardently prayed in this old Kremlin, where many of your pious predecessors were blessed for the highest work for the Motherland, so that the Lord would be merciful to you and our country, give you spiritual and physical strength, wisdom, courage and strength of spirit," the Patriarch said addressing Putin after a prayer service in the Kremlin Annunciation Cathedral.

According to the Primate, to make the work successful, it is necessary to hear people's voice.


Read further at interfax...