Russia's Catholic archbishop has said he believes long-running
Orthodox complaints about the Church's activities in the country have
now been settled for good, thanks to improved ecumenical relations.In an interview with the Kommersant daily, Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, head of the Moscow-based Mother of God Archdiocese since 2007, said Russia's million-strong Catholic Church still faced problems in cities such as Ryazan, Kirov and Vologda, where its Soviet-seized places of worship had still not been returned.
However, he added that questions raised by the Russian Orthodox Church about Catholic activities, including complaints of encroachment in the former Soviet Union, had now been "answered", adding that he believed there was now nothing to prevent direct talks between Kirill I and Pope Francis.