ROME, Sep 18, 02 (CWNews.com) - Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II has renewed his harsh accusations against the Vatican and the Catholic Church, in an interview published by the Italian weekly Famiglia Cristiana.
The Russian prelate speaks of the «expansionist strategy» of the Holy See in traditionally Orthodox countries, and says that ecumenical progress cannot take place until the Vatican shows «greater respect» for the Moscow patriarchate.
«If the Catholic Church still thinks of the Russian Orthodox Church as a 'sister church,' in accordance with the spirit of Vatican II, why does it act as if there is no other church, no other Christian culture, in Russia?» the patriarch asks.
The Russian Orthodox leader charged that the establishment of new Catholic dioceses in Russia demonstrated Rome's plans for an enlargement of Vatican influence in that country. That ambition, he said, is «an unacceptable idea for the Orthodox Church-- which for more than 1000 years has nourished the Russian soul, and remained with the people in good and bad times, faithful to the origins of the country and the Russian culture.»
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18. september 2002