The Russian Orthodox Church Seeks Cooperation With The Roman Catholic Vatican To Preserve Pan-Europe's Christian Culture

"Metropolitan Kiril of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, who is the head of external relations for the Moscow Patriarchate, said on May 22 that the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches need to work together to preserve Christian culture in Europe, ITAR-TASS reported. "Time is ripe for our two churches to cooperate for the sake of preserving Christian values in the life of modern Europe," Kiril said. "At a time when Europe has been trying to break away from its Christian roots, Christians in the East and in the West must work together to campaign for Christian values," he added. Kiril also acknowledged that "there remain theological problems dating back to the Middle Ages," and that "these themes must be studied and the theological dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox churches resumed." Kiril met with [the German] Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican on May 18, but did not discuss a possible papal visit to Moscow."

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Newsline May 24, 2006

http://www.rferl.org/















Cathedral of the Assumption, Smolensk, Russia. The Holy 'Slavonic' Nationalities of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia defeated the Holy 'Christian' European Emperor Napolean at the Battle of Smolensk in 1812. Russian Nationalist composer Peter I. Tchaikovsky later commemorated this victory in a famous piece of classical music featuring live cannon fire.

Photo credit: The Moscow School. International Writing Exchange. With thanks.

www.msses.ru/win/ faculty/alc/IWE/Smolensk/

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Prussian Kings' Palace in Kaliningrad, the Russian Federation. The North European Prussian tribes were some of the last native European peoples to be converted to Christianity, and their relationship to Christianity remained problematic into the 20th century. Until the 19th century, Kaliningrad (Königsberg, East Prussia) was a more extensive and elegant North European city than its sister Prussian city, Berlin, Brandenberg. Berlin (Brandenberg) was marred in the 19th century by industrialization which left it less a 'North European Athens', than a 'European Chicago'. Like [Saint] Petersburg, Russia, Königsberg, East Prussia was a city loved for its extensive system of urban waterways and bridges.

Photo credit: www.phystech.com/ ~sergei/kaliningrad.html With thanks.