25 September 2003 11:09
Russian Orthodox Church hopes to end decades-old schism
The Moscow Patriarchy hopes that a union with the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad is still possible.
"I believe that God will bring us to unity, especially because the historic causes of the split are over: the revolution, the civil war and the Cold War," Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, a spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchy, told Interfax on Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday invited Metropolitan Lavr, head of the Church Abroad, to visit Russia. The invitation was extended jointly from Putin himiself and Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II.
"The Russian Orthodox Church has repeatedly invited the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad to enter a dialogue without preconditions," Archpriest Vsevolod said.
Alexy II made this offer back in 1991, shortly after his enthronement, he said. "We still hope that this call for dialogue will be heard," Archpriest Vsevolod said. "We hope to God that the two parts of the Russian Church naturally come to full eucharistic and spiritual communion with God. Recent history urges us to do so. The hierarchs, clergy and laymen of the two churches are contacting each other on an increasing scale to help each other withstand the challenges of the secular world, both in Russia and in the West," he said.
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