A top Roman Catholic cardinal said on Wednesday that Russia's Orthodox Church, which has resisted any notion of a visit by Pope John Paul, risked isolation unless it sought improved ties with the Vatican.
Cardinal Walter Kasper, in Moscow to try to heal a rift which has split the two faiths since the Great Schism of 1054, said mistakes and misunderstandings had further damaged relations since 1990 and it was time for reconciliation.
"The West is in need of Russia, which throughout history served as a defence wall for Europe," he said in an address at Moscow's Catholic cathedral, a red brick structure across town from the landmark gold dome of its Orthodox counterpart. "Russia is in need of the West, and in need of Rome, if it doesn't wish to become isolated."
Orthodox leaders accuse Catholics of poaching their congregations and of provoking battles over property, particularly in western Ukraine where the five-million strong eastern-rite Catholic Church was banned in Soviet times.
Kasper denied his church was engaged in what he said the Orthodox church had termed proselytism. He said the churches must overcome their mutual suspicions, which date back to the Christian crusades and medieval unrest in central Europe, and instead find unity in their shared history and beliefs. "A division in the church goes against the will of Jesus," said Kasper, head of the Vatican's department in charge of Christian unity.
The frail 83-year-old pope, a Pole by birth, was instrumental in the collapse of communism and began visiting Orthodox countries in 1999, including several ex-Soviet states. But his dream of coming to Russia has been thwarted by opposition from Orthodox Patriarch Alexiy II.
Relations have improved from a period of two years ago, when a number of Catholic priests in Russia were denied visas and subjected to occasional harassment. "The Orthodox Church explained its reasons very often – and I am here to overcome this problem," Kasper said. "It (a papal visit) would be a great pleasure for him and for us all, but first we must remove the obstacles," he said.
Asked about his chances for success, he said: "I hope so."
On Thursday, the cardinal is due to meet Metropolitan Kirill, head of external relations for the Moscow Patriarchate, which could pave the way for a meeting with Alexiy. Viktor Khrull, a spokesman for the local Catholic episcopate, said Kasper had extended his stay in Moscow by a day in the hope of meeting Alexiy, and would now leave on Monday. He will also visit Sergiyev Posad, north of Moscow, spiritual centre of the Russian church.
A spokesman for the Orthodox patriarch last week dismissed the idea the patriarch and the pope could meet until relations improved markedly.