Russian Orthodox Church gives 'proof' of Catholic proselytizing in Russia

MOSCOW - The Russian Orthodox Church on Friday provided what it called proof of Catholic proselytizing on Russian territory, and said the Catholic Church's activities are clouding prospects for any interchurch dialogue to end their millennium-old divide.

Catholic leaders called the accusations groundless.

"The Catholic side has been telling us that it's not trying to convert Orthodox believers to Catholicism, but they are doing it," said Father Vsevolod Chaplin of the Moscow Orthodox Patriarchate's foreign relations department.

The Orthodox Church report alleges that Catholic clergy are giving religious instruction to "financially dependent" children in Russian orphanages and shelters. It cites dozens of examples, from the southern Volga region to Siberia to the Russian Far East, and says the Catholic Church is setting up a network of monastic orders to serve as a base for missionary work.

The Orthodox Church has long accused Catholics of trying to poach souls on its traditional territory. Relations between the two churches soured further this year when the Catholic Church upgraded its four "apostolic administrations" in Russia to full-fledged dioceses — a move that infuriated the Orthodox leadership, who saw it as an attempt at expansion. The Vatican said it was merely meant to improve pastoral services for Catholics in Russia.

Since then, two foreign Catholic priests have been barred from entering Russia, though the Orthodox Church denies any connection to the incidents.

The dispute has cast doubt on the possibility of a papal visit to Russia. Pope John Paul II has made improving relations with Orthodox Christians a central goal of his papacy and expressed a desire to travel to Russia. The Russian Orthodox Patriarch, Alexy II, says that cannot happen until relations improve — and the Catholic Church stops its alleged proselytizing.

Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, the leader of Russia's Roman Catholic community, said the Orthodox report is full of "wrong" information, and confuses proselytizing with non-religious social work.

"One of the goals of the Catholic Church is charity activity. So we are trying to do this. But according to the Orthodox Church, charity work is immediately a sign of proselytizing," Kondrusiewicz said.

He said Catholic missions often invite Orthodox clergy to take part in charity activities, but if they fail to turn up, the work goes forward.

"We're trying to help these people survive," he said.

Chaplin accused the Vatican of treating the Orthodox Church in "harsh" business terms, like a rival company maneuvering for market space. He said the Orthodox clergy is ready to compete for souls, but said such a fight would ultimately do great damage to interchurch relations.

"We are not afraid of the Catholic mission in Russia, as we're often accused of being. The mission has had only meager success," Chaplin said.

About two-thirds of Russia's 144 million inhabitants are Russian Orthodox. There are approximately 600,000 Catholics.