A conversation with Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, together with the organisation "Aid to the Church in Need" takes stock of relations with the Orthodox world
"The desire for a meeting between Benedict XVI and Patriarch Kirill is strong. I feel that we are finally on the right track."
Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow, speaks to "Aid to the Church in Need" of the Catholic Church in Russia, relations with the Orthodox and the possible long-awaited meeting between the Pope and the Patriarch of All Russia.
From the capital of the Russian Federation, the archbishop emphasized the progress that has been made in relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, which have "developed a greater reciprocal knowledge, without attempting to achieve unity at all costs," but instead bearing a "common witness to Christ that is bringing us closer to much hoped for unity." Monsignor Pezzi arrived in Russia in 1993. He was a missionary in Siberia and rector of the only Catholic Seminary - named "Mary Queen of Apostles" - in St. Petersburg. Since September 2007 he has been the head of the Archdiocese of Moscow. After nearly two decades, the prelate spoke to ACN about how the Catholic community has "changed profoundly" in a country that at the political level "has taken the path of continuity."
Excellency, on 21 September last year you celebrated the fourth anniversary of your appointment as archbishop of the Mother of God in Moscow. What evaluation can you give us of these four years? What has been your greatest satisfaction and your greatest concern?
I do not really like making evaluations, but I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to serve the Church and above all to have been able to do so in Russia. That is what gladdens me the most. Our Catholic Church is a small seed in the vast land in which it is immersed, but my hope - and at the same time, my biggest concern, is that our service may allow more people to meet Christ in order to discover how much better one lives with faith.
In recent days, you celebrated the centenary of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in Russia. During the festivities, a statue of Mother Teresa was inaugurated, donated by the City of Moscow to your diocese, but just a few days before that, the same city administration decided to demolish a hospice run by the Missionaries of Charity. In inaugurating the sculpture, you spoke of the "dictatorship of law..."
I used that expression while recounting the history of the Church of the Immaculate Conception which - during communism - was first closed, then partially destroyed and then transformed into a factory. Everything was done in a formally legal manner. Even today, what has happened to the House of the Sisters of Mother Teresa was done in total compliance with the law... The question I ask myself, and which I address to the authorities, however, is whether it is more important to apply the law, or - rather - to use it to defend the common good and those who promote it. As do, for example, the Missionaries of Charity, whose work is not only useful but necessary for the city.
Because of its troubled history, the Pope said that the Cathedral has "participated in the sufferings" of Russian Catholics who found religious freedom in 1991. You arrived just two years later, in 1993, and were first in Siberia, then in St. Petersburg and today you are in Moscow. How has the state of the Catholic community changed in recent decades and what are the needs of the faithful?
The condition of the Catholic community in Russia has changed dramatically in recent years. Initially, the faithful were almost all foreigners - Poles, Ukrainians, Germans, Belarusians, Lithuanians - and now they are mostly Russian citizens, although the majority are of foreign origin. Ours is no longer a Church of foreigners and it is no longer perceived as a simple alternative to other religions, but as a universal entity. In this universality, we have the right to profess our faith in Christ, and because of this, I think one of the primary needs of Russian Catholics is to live more the Community dimension of their existence as a Church.
Has the decision to establish full diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Russian Federation, made during Medvedev's visit to the Vatican in 2009, already produced positive effects for the local church?
The decision has no doubt had a positive effect on our image and on the way we are received in Russia. If Moscow decides to establish full diplomatic relations with the Holy See, it means the Catholic Church is not perceived as a foreign body. On the contrary, it means that her dignity is recognized and that in future there will be a greater willingness from institutions to listen to her needs.
The question remains open regarding the restitution of church properties confiscated during the regime. Do you believe that you will find a solution soon?
In order for the law - which I still think is valid - to be applicable some bureaucratic problems need to be solved. The Catholic Church should regain about 50 buildings, then we'll see what obligations such a restitution will imply.
After seventy years of communism, the Russian community is strongly secularized, but in recent years it has been waking up to a certain religious need, especially among young people. How do you respond to this request?
The request of young people is often unconscious. Our task is mainly to help them become aware that the need for religion is a constitutive part of the person. For this reason, every month we organize meetings in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as in other dioceses. The Christian announcement responds to the needs of youth, but it is equally important that they are offered the example of people whose lives have changed thanks to Christ, in real Catholic communities in which one may experience the deeper meaning of living the faith.
In our recent interview, you listed evangelization among your priorities, the pastoral care of the family and education, especially religious education, all challenges that see the Catholic Church committed alongside Orthodox Churches. How are relations now? Do you believe ecumenism has made progressin Russia?
Absolutely... The two churches now "know each other better" and above all - despite old prejudices and reservations - the need for mutual understanding grows. Maintaining the differences without transforming them into barriers has allowed us to establish sincere relations and give life to a fruitful cooperation, even at the local level: a common witness of charity which translates into co-operation. The Orthodox lend their support to Catholic associations - such as Aid to the Church in Need - to support the pastoral work of our diocese. Then, the two churches jointly implement cultural initiatives on issues such as the pastoral care of families and young people, and there is a strong collaboration between Catholic and Orthodox universities promoting ecumenism (since the early '90s, ACN has supported dozens of interfaith initiatives in Russia, Editor's note.) In summary, our aim is not to achieve unity at all costs, but to build a relationship based on a common witness of Christ to bring us closer to the hoped-for union.
There is talk of a possible meeting between Benedict XVI and Patriarch Kirill, also at the behest of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations. The only restrictions seem to be some divisions within the Orthodox Church as well as the request made to Rome, that it refrain from elevating the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to a Patriarchate. What is your opinion?
There is a strong wish that this meeting take place; at this point the obstacles mainly involve the topics of the possible meeting. It is likely that the meeting between the Pope and the Orthodox Patriarch will have a negative backlash on some realities inside the Russian church. I couldn't say how much it would influence the question of the Eastern rite Catholic Church, but rather than an obstacle, it may become a topic of discussion. My opinion is that we are on track and that it will be a meeting of high-level content, offering a great contribution to the path towards full communion. And I must say that in this sense the words of Hilarion - who said he was sustained by the Holy Father in the faith - impressed me very much.
In recent years the Russian Federation has been the protagonist of a rapid economic ascent. How is the population living this change?
The economic situation of Russian citizens is gradually improving. But I hope that this acquired wealth does not remain an end in itself, but coincides with a real welfare for all. I would not wish for the economic growth to make us more closed...
Just a few days ago, Vladimir Putin's candidacy for next year's presidential elections was made official. In the coming years, should we expect a Russia that is in total harmony with its most recent political history?
Mine is not false modesty when I claim not to be an expert in politics. However, I believe that the road taken by the Federation is the road of continuity. I doubt that the next few years will be very different from the past decade.