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Medvedev may affirm similarity of church views at meeting with Pontiff

Moscow, November 26, Interfax - The Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church have similar views on many problems, the Moscow Patriarchate said ahead of President Dmitry Medvedev's meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.

"The President may draw the Pontiff's attention to the similar attitude of the two Churches to many problems, such as public relations, Christian morals and the need for cooperation," Secretary for Inter-Christian Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov told the Interfax-Religion.

The cleric said he had many times heard from Holy See diplomats about "similar views of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, as well as of the Vatican and Russia, on the moral roots of Europe, Christian legacy and bioethics."

"The upcoming meeting will be a rendezvous of two statesmen," he said. "Since Dmitry Medvedev represents the country where the majority of citizens belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, he may touch upon the relations between Orthodox believers and Catholics."

One should not view the upcoming visit of Medvedev to the Vatican as "a mediating mission between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Roman Catholic Church," he said.

"We resolve problems in inter-Church relations directly with the Pontiff and his representatives. There is no mediation of statesmen in inter-Church relations," he said.

The Russian President will pay a brief working visit to the Vatican on December 3 and meet with Pope Benedict XVI, the Kremlin press office said on Thursday.

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