wfn.org | Report on Russia Visit

[Sheila MESA <smm@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches
Press Release
For Immediate Use
6 February 1998

Visit of WCC Delegation to the Russian Orthodox Church
 30 January -  5 February 1998

A delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC), headed by its
General Secretary Rev. Dr. Konrad Raiser, visited the Russian Orthodox
Church 30 January-5 February 1998.

Accompanying the General Secretary were Archbishop Jeremiasz of
Wroclaw (Polish Orthodox Church), Bishop Hendrik Svenungsson
(Lutheran Church of Sweden), Prof. Nicholas Lossky (Russian Orthodox
Church, France) as well as two WCC staff members. It was the most
extensive and high-level visit that a WCC General Secretary has made to
the Russian Orthodox Church. 

The delegation was in Russia at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch
Alexis II of Moscow and All Russia, head of the Russian Orthodox
Church. The purpose of the visit was to show support for the Russian
Orthodox Church's involvement in the WCC and the ecumenical
movement at a time when there is criticism of such involvement from
some sections within the church. The meeting was hosted by the
Department of External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox
Church (DECR). In a series of meetings, the possible future direction of
the relationship of the Russian Orthodox Church and the WCC was
discussed in detail. 

The intensive programme of the delegation included attendance at the
Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin on
Sunday, 1 February, followed by a reception and private audience with
Patriarch Alexis II. The General Secretary and his team also had a
meeting with permanent members of the Holy Synod of the Russian
Orthodox Church, where the involvement of the Russian Orthodox
Church in the work of the WCC was reviewed.

On Tuesday, 3 February, the delegation participated in the plenary
session of the Theological Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church,
where Dr Raiser presented a paper on 'The Common Understanding and
Vision of the WCC: the ecumenical movement in transition'. Subsequent
discussions examined the theological basis of the participation of the
Russian Orthodox Church in the WCC, and examined some issues on the
WCC agenda considered as controversial. In a separate meeting, the
delegation had an exchange of views with students and professors of
the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary.

The General Secretary and the delegation also held talks with
Archbishop Sergei of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Department of
Church Charity and Social Services, and with Rev. Ioann Ekonomtsev of
the Department of Religious Education and Catechism. During these
meetings the existing collaboration with the WCC was reviewed, and
areas of priority for continued practical cooperation were identified. In
addition, a public discussion was held with students of the St. Tikhon's
Orthodox Theological Institute, and the ecumenical team visited some
examples of church social activities in Moscow. At the request of the
delegation, an informal meeting was held with young people from
parishes in Moscow, in the parish church of St. Catherine. 

In a private meeting, members of the delegation also met Pastor
Konovalchik, Chairman of the Union of Evangelical Christian-Baptists of
the Russian Federation. During the meeting, the current status and
activities of the church, which has no formal WCC membership, were
presented and discussed. 

During the concluding encounter of the visit, Metropolitan Kyrill of
Smolensk and Kaliningrad emphasised the exceptional importance of this
high-level visit to Russia. The Metropolitan affirmed to the delegation the
long-standing and continuing strong commitment of the Russian Orthodox
Church to the WCC. He reminded the group of the existence of internal
tensions and growing opposition to ecumenical involvement in Russia at
this time, much of which was based on a lack of information and
deliberate misinformation about the WCC. However, he also recognised
that for a number of Orthodox churches, including the Russian Orthodox
Church, there were also fundamental questions about the direction, form
and level of ecumenical cooperation of the Orthodox churches in the
WCC. 

In reply, Dr Raiser told Metropolitan Kyrill he recognised the historic
significance of the whole visit, which had allowed a timely, frank and
open exchange about the concerns of the Russian Orthodox Church in
the WCC. The visit had given the WCC a deeper understanding of the
present situation of the Russian Orthodox Church and the nature of the
critical questions raised about its participation in the ecumenical
movement. 

The General Secretary welcomed the invitation of the Russian Orthodox
Church to the WCC to initiate discussions about the future implementation
of a policy statement adopted by the WCC Central Committee in 1997:
"Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of
Churches".  Dr Raiser suggested that further serious reflection about
new forms and methods of ecumenical cooperation, as well as about a
reshaped constitutional framework for ecumenical commitment, would
enable the WCC, its member churches and other ecumenical partners to
respond better to the challenges of the 21st century.

A press conference with Dr Raiser will be held today (Friday, 6
February) at 1400hrs in the Ecumenical Centre, Geveva. Dr Raiser will be
joined by the Rev. Dr Keith Clements (General Secretary, Conference of
European Churches) who recently made a separate visit to Russia and
the Russian Orthodox Church.

**********
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 330, in
more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions.  The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but
works cooperatively with the WCC.  The highest governing body is the
Assembly, which meets approximately every seven years.  The WCC
was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Its staff is
headed by general secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church
in Germany.

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