Moscow, Oct. 31, 2007 (CWNews.com) - The top ecumenical-affairs official of the Moscow patriarchate has confirmed that the Russian Orthodox Church sees a warming trend in relations with Catholics.
"We now have a positive trend; we have moved from a severe frost to a thaw," said Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk.
Commenting after the installation of Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, Metropolitan Kirill said that he hoped the new leader of Moscow's Catholic community would "contribute as much as possible to improving relations and overcoming existing difficulties."