Patriarch: Russian Orthodox-Roman Catholic Dialogue to Preserve Differences

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia assures that the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church will preserve their unique traditions and differences amid cooperation.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church will preserve their unique traditions and differences amid cooperation, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia assured.

"We’re not trying to hide doctrinal differences, not making it seem like they are unimportant. Interacting, we will keep our traditions intact. After all, our task is not to change each other in the course of dialogue, but, working together, to change the world around us that is full of suffering and injustice that threaten God-given human dignity," Patriarch Kirill said in an interview with Le Figaro.

According to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, any criticism of cooperation between the two churches is due to a lack of accurate and sufficient information on the subject.

Patriarch Kirill did admit, however, that tensions still exist between Greek Catholics and the Orthodox Church, since many Orthodox Christians have suffered because of the actions of Greek Catholics.

In February, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church held historic talks with Pope Francis in Cuba’s capital, Havana, where they issued a joint declaration urging global action to stop the persecution of Christians.

Patriarch Kirill is coming on a visit to France on Saturday.