Moscow, Jun. 20, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus has arrived in Moscow for talks with the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Despite expectations that the Cypriot prelate will push for a summit meeting between Patriarch Alexei II and Pope Benedict XVI, a spokesman for the Moscow patriarchate told the Interfax news service that the possibility of a papal visit to Moscow is "not on the agenda" for the talks with Archbishop Chrysostomos.
Before leaving Cyprus on a trip that took him first to Rome and then to Moscow, the Cypriot archbishop had told reporters that he hoped to serve as a mediator between the leaders of the two largest bodies of Christians. But the Moscow patriarchate downplayed that possibility, claiming that the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church "have no problems that would require mediation."