American GOA Bishops and Roman Cardinals Meet in Russia

(Asianews.it) The cardinal has already met with the Catholic community of the capital: yesterday evening, he was welcomed by the new archbishop Paolo Pezzi, and participated in the Mass for Corpus Domini in the cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow. That morning, at the cultural centre “Library of the Spirit”, he inaugurated a new exhibit of icons (in the photo) painted by a young iconographer, Irina Marcelo Curto. The event was also attended by Bishop Mark, vice-president of the department for external relations at the patriarchate of Moscow; Bishop Nifon, representative of the patriarchate of Antioch in Moscow; the nuncio Antonio Mennini, and various members of the diplomatic corps. From this very first meeting, the emphasis was placed on the importance of dialogue and mutual understanding, which is the stated purpose of the cultural centre “Library of the Spirit”.

Emphasising his desire to encounter Orthodox culture, Cardinal Kasper highlighted the fact that the icon, the heritage of the undivided Church, is growing in importance in the West as well, thanks to its capacity to speak to the heart of men and to be understood even by many who seem to have lost any connection to the Church. Bishop Mark pointed out a significant coincidence: the arrival of Cardinal Kasper coincides with the feast of St Nicholas (according to the Julian calendar), and constitutes a sort of symbol of the unity that we – Christians of the East and of the West – must help each other to recognise. Click here for full article….