At a meeting on December 18 in Moscow with the head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church said that he has similar views with Pope Francis on many current issues.
“With the election of Pope Francis we have high expectations, because much of what the pope and the church now offer the world and society aligns with our vision,” said Kirill, Interfax reports.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church believes that at this particular stage of life of both churches, dialogue between them is very important. “The positions of the Bishop of Rome and the Patriarch of Moscow have much in common regarding issues that concern many people today,” he said. Kirill pointed out the similar views in particular on the situation in the Middle East, which has led to Christians being more exposed to persecution, and regarding the preservation of traditional family values, social injustice.
In turn Cardinal Koch conveyed to the Patriarch greetings from the Pontiff. He noted that the institution of the family is in deep crisis, and that it is “only one of the signs that other Christian values do not mean much to the world.” “We're talking about a fundamental right to life, while others speak of the human right to have an abortion. This is a very big controversy,” said the cardinal. He also thanked the patriarch for the common approach to the assessment of the situation in Syria and for visiting the country in November 2011.
On Wednesday, Cardinal Koch also met with Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Alexei Meshkov. They discussed issues of cooperation between Russia and the Vatican.