POPE FRANCIS SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ATTEMPTS TO ENCROACH UPON THE UNITY OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Interfax-Religiia, 31 May 2018
The Vatican decisively advocates the maintenance of the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church Roman Pope Francis declared at a meeting with a delegation of the Moscow patriarchate headed by Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Ilarion.
"In your presence, and especially before you, dear brother, I would like to emphasize again that the Catholic Church will never permit that on its part there would appear an approach provoking division. We will never permit this. I do not want this. There is only one patriarchate in Russia—yours. And we will not have another," the pontiff said, whose words were quoted on Thursday by the website of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate.
In addition, the statement said, the pope considers Uniatism as a method for achieving ecclesiastical unity to be completely unacceptable in relations between Orthodox and Catholics at the present stage, and he posits that fraternal dialogue is the only possible path toward greater unity.
"Catholic churches should not interfere in the internal affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, including for political reasons. This is my position and the position of the Holy See today. People who act otherwise are not subordinate to the Holy See," the head of the Vatican declared. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 May 2018)
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