Naples Cardinal Visits Alexy II

Sean · Post by **Sean** » Thu 2 October 2008 1:19 am

Patriarch Notes Hope for Developing Relations

NAPLES, Italy, OCT. 1, 2008 (Zenit.org). - The archbishop of Naples and
other Church leaders are on an official visit to Moscow at the
invitation of Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II.

Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe left for Russia Tuesday, accompanied by
Bishop Vincenzo Paglia of Terni-Narni- Amelia, president of the Italian
bishops' Ecumenism Commission, and Andrea Riccardi, the director of
the Sant'Egidio Community, the bishops' SIR news agency reported.

Today the cardinal presented Alexy II with a letter from Benedict XVI
and a relic of St. Januarius, a Neapolitan martyr of the third century
particularly venerated by the Orthodox.

Alexy II affirmed that "the shared sense of the Christian mission
brings the Russian Orthodox Church near to the Diocese of Naples." He
offered "the hope of a development in the relationship with the
Catholic Church."

For his part, Cardinal Sepe affirmed that both Christian communities
"should work together courageously to bring the soul back to our
Europe: From this soul flows hope for the future of our peoples, and
charity in the face of the suffering of the modern world."

This visit is taking place after interreligious celebrations in Naples
promoted by the Sant'Egidio Community. The series of events was
inaugurated by the Pope in October 2007.

On that occasion, Cardinal Sepe donated the Naples church of St. Mary
of a Holy Death to the Russian Orthodox community. The keys were
presented to Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, the
president of the Department of External Affairs of the Moscow
Patriarchate.

The archbishop and auxiliary bishops of Milan, as well as 80 of their
priests, also made a pilgrimage to Russia to visit Alexy II in August.

Sean · Post by **Sean** » Sun 12 October 2008 12:47 am

Pope to Patriarch: We Need Unity Faster

Sat Oct 11, 2008 12:29 am (PDT)

http://www.catholic.net/index.php?id=23824
<http://www.catholic .net/index.php?id=23824&option=zenit> &option=zenit

By Inmaculada Álvarez

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 6, 2008 (Zenit.org <http://www.zenit.org/
Benedict XVI sent a personal message to Russian Orthodox Patriarch
Alexy II saying that modern times call for a hastening of the journey
toward Christian unity.

The Sept. 22 message was hand-delivered to Alexy II by the archbishop
of Naples, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, on an official visit to Moscow at
the invitation of the patriarch. The cardinal gave the message to the
patriarch in a meeting that lasted a little more than an hour last
Thursday.

"I have a deep affection for all the Orthodox brethren, and I am
particularly close to them in these most recent days when conflict has
caused significant suffering to peoples so dear to me," the Holy
Father said. "I never cease to offer daily prayers for peace, asking
the Lord that the appeals of Your Holiness to resolve all hostility
for the good of the nations may be heeded."

He added: "Faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ is a bond that unites hearts
in a profound way and invites us all to strengthen our commitment to
manifest to the world a shared witness of living together respectfully
and peacefully.

"Our times, marked so often by conflict and grief, make it even more
necessary to hasten the journey toward the full unity of all the
disciples of Christ, so that the joyous message of salvation may be
spread to all humanity."

Getting closer

Cardinal Sepe told Vatican Radio on the day of his meeting with Alexy
II that the Orthodox and Catholic Churches are growing ever closer,
"as the patriarch himself emphasized with emotion."

"The impression is that a very important step has been taken to create
a climate of closeness and mutual respect, of fraternity and
friendship," he added.

Bishop Vincenzo Paglia of Terni, president of the Italian bishops'
ecumenism commission, who was also present in the meeting with Alexy
II, said that the process of growing closer should proceed with
meetings between the various pastors of both Churches.

On the path to unity, the bishop added, "meetings between experts are
no longer sufficient." Rather, ecumenism "is a coming together of the
Churches."

And, Bishop Paglia affirmed, ecumenism is more and more "a demand of
contemporary society."

"The harmony between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church is
ever more evident," he said, referring to the challenges presented to
all Christians in Europe and contemporary society. "Certain limits and
challenges can only be faced from a perspective of unity."

On the Net:

Benedict XVI's letter: www.zenit.org/article-23823?l=english