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The Moscow Patriarchate and the Holy See are united in “the common concern over the sufferings of Christians in today’s world, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa, and elsewhere”. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said this to Card. Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, during the meeting they had in Moscow yesterday. The cardinal, who had travelled to Moscow to join in the celebrations marking the 70^th birthday of the head of the Russian Church, was received by the Patriarch yesterday. During their meeting, Patriarch Kirill recalled his meeting with Pope Francis in Havana, stressing that it found a positive response in the world community. “It was after our meeting – he said – that the problem of the genocide of Christians in the Middle East was raised at high levels in various countries, and this issue became a major item on the political agenda”. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church noted with regret that the situation in Syria and Iraq is deteriorating by the day, “not only because of the hostilities in Aleppo and Mosul, but also because of the ongoing sufferings of people. The actions of the existing coalitions still lack proper coordination, necessary for combating terrorism successfully. I am convinced that only joint coordinated actions aimed at achieving specific goals can really help defeat terrorism”. Hence the importance of the joint initiatives undertaken, beginning with the trip of a Catholic-Orthodox delegation to Syria on 7 April 2016. “It was an important visit – Patriarch Kirill said – that helped representatives of our two Churches form a clear view of the situation in Syria and Lebanon, and lay the foundation for our future collaborative work aimed, among other things, at providing aid to people”. Indeed, the two sides have already started to draw up a list of religious sites and churches destroyed during the military operations. “We hope that the war will end and that people will live in peace again, only then will we be able to raise the issue of the restoration of Syria”, His Holiness said. “For us, Christians, it is also important that churches are restored and people can return to their normal religious life. We are willing to continue our joint work with the Roman Catholic Church and its representatives, and to do all within our power to cease sufferings and help people live in peace again”.


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