An influential Catholic prelate reaffirmed that relations between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church are improving, during an August 12 press conference in Siberia.Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, the retired president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, traveled to Siberia after a stop in Moscow, where he met with Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II.
The cardinal gave the Russian primate a personal letter from Pope Benedict XVI, to which the patriarch promised a reply.
At his press conference in Novosibirsk, the French-born cardinal confirmed what he had told reporters in Moscow: that he saw a distinctly positive trend in Catholic-Orthodox relations, with much of the progress brought by joint efforts to revive the role of Christian faith in European culture.
Cardinal Etchegaray's perspective is regarded as particularly important because he has frequently been chosen to act as a special envoy for the Holy See on special diplomatic assignments.
The cardinal was in Siberia for ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of the cathedral in Novosibirsk.
That city's Bishop Joseph Werth told reporters that there are now 100 Catholic priests working in Siberia, including 5 graduates of local seminaries.
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