They seem to keep pulling the same story out every other month with Russia responding with the same primary parade raining statements with a few change-ups thrown in. Even if it occurred, would it have the same joyous camaraderie of the the Papal / Patriarchal meetings of His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch?
Rome, Mar. 10, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone (bio - news), the Vatican Secretary of State, told Italy's ANSA news service that he believes the time "is drawing near" when Pope Benedict XVI might be able to meet with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II.
Cardinal Bertone spoke with ANSA after returning from a trip to Azerbaijan, where he visited the Russian Orthodox cathedral in Baku. The cardinal conceded that "difficulties" remain in the relationship between the Holy See and the Moscow patriarchate, but indicated that progress is being made to overcome these difficulties.
The Vatican made several efforts to arrange a "summit" meeting between Patriarch Alexei and Pope John Paul II. In each instance the plans were eventually scuttled when Russian Orthodox spokesmen insisted that the Vatican should renounced Catholic "proselytism" in eastern Europe as a precondition for the meeting.
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