Moscow, Apr. 4, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Catholics in Russia are not pressing for an early meeting between Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) and Moscow's Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II, according to the general secretary of the Russian Catholic bishops' conference.
Father Irog Kowalewski, writing in the <.i>NG-Religii journal, reported that a summit meeting between the two prelates "is not viewed as present as a strategic task in Orthodox-Catholic dialogue," the Interfax news service reports.
The Church spokesman said that Catholic and Orthodox leaders in Russia are agreed that the immediate task for ecumenical work is to build up strong relations at the local level, rather than to plan for a high-profile meeting. While the media often focus on the prospects for a meeting between the Pope and the Patriarch, he said, quiet work at the local level is more important to "overcome the atmosphere of mutual suspicions, stereotyped think, and sometimes even open animosity."
If those problems can be solved by Catholic and Orthodox parishioners inside Russia, Father Kowalewski said, the results will create new opportunities for more visible progress-- including perhaps a summit meeting. But he cautioned: "Fast results are not to be expected."