Vatican reaches out to Russian Orthodox (Vatican).

Rome--Although nothing is yet finalized, Vatican officials have been discussing with leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church the possibility of giving them the church of St. Basil in central Rome. This church, currently under renovation, is to be inspected by Orthodox bishop Metropolitan Kirill (of Smolensk and Kaliningrad) before a decision is made.

The proposed gift of the church is meant to improve relations between the Churches. Since the fall of Communism, Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox leaders have accused Catholics of proselytizing among their congregations. Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic bishops deny this charge, pointing out that they are attempting to recover Church property seized by the State in 1944-45-at the suppression of their Church--and given by Stalin to the Orthodox. These efforts are often thwarted by the attitude of the Orthodox authorities (N.C.R., 12 Mar.00).

Meanwhile, the Holy Father continues his drive for reconciliation with the Eastern Orthodox churches. On March 25 he met with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem during his Jubilee Year pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This is the fifth Orthodox patriarch with whom the Pope has met in the past 18 months; the others are the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Romania, and Georgia and the Abbot Patriarch of St. Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai.

Said the Holy Father:

"Fraternal cooperation among the Christians of this Holy City is no mere option; it has a significance all its own in communicating the love which the Father has for the world in sending his only Son (cf. Jn 3:16). Only in a spirit of mutual respect and support can the Christian presence flourish here in a community alive with its traditions and confident in facing the social, cultural and political challenges of an evolving situation."