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03 March 2006, 15:57Omission of Patriarch of the West title will not help ties with Orthodox Church - bishop Hilarion
Vienna, March 3, Interfax - The Moscow Patriarchate has disagreed with the Vatican's statement that Pope Benedict XVI's decision to abandon his title of Patriarch of the West was governed by a desire to improve relations with the Orthodox Church.
"It remains a mystery how the omission of the Patriarch of the West title can improve relations between the Holy See and the Orthodox Church. On the contrary, this omission could be viewed as further claims to the church's worldwide jurisdiction, which is reflected in the pontiff's other titles," Bishop of Vienna and Austria Hilarion, the Russian Church's envoy to European institutions, said in a statement on Friday.
The Patriarch of the West was one of the most problematic titles from an Orthodox standpoint, he said, adding that the origin of the pontiff's other titles is also disputable.
Among the titles of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI are Bishop of Rome, Primate of Italy and Servant of the Servants of God. |
