METROPOLITAN KIRILL SEES POPE BENEDICT AS MORE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 012851

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/RUS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/07/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PINR RS
SUBJECT: METROPOLITAN KIRILL SEES POPE BENEDICT AS MORE
PRAGMATIC THAN JOHN PAUL, BUT NO PLANS FOR VISIT

Classified By: Ambassador William J. Burns: 1.4 (d).

During a recent lunch, Metropolitan of Smolensk and
Kaliningrad Kirill offered the Ambassador his views on a
series of issues. Among them:

-- return of bells from Harvard to the St. Daniel's
Monastery: Kirill was pleased with the progress to date.
(We understand that businessman Arkadiy Vekselberg, who is
financing the return and the casting of replacement bells for
Harvard, has reached agreement on the cost of the
transaction. Vekselberg's people are currently negotiating
the necessary permits.) Kirill agreed that the return was a
very positive moment in U.S.-Church relations and endorsed
Ambassador's suggestion that it be commemorated by an
appropriate event. In a subsequent conversation, Moscow
Patriarchate Deputy Chairman for External Church Relations
Vsevolod Chaplin agreed to develop suggestions for an event;

-- relations with the Roman Catholic Church: Kirill was
upbeat about Pope Benedict, whom he termed "more pragmatic"
than John Paul II. There are no plans for a papal visit,
Kirill said, and any such event would have to be very well
prepared;

-- pending Moscow City Duma legislation that would, among
other things, prohibit religious agitation: Kirill said the
Russian Orthodox Church is not interested in prohibiting
agitation, and offered that there was no need to be concerned
about the presence of the Mormon Church in Russia;

-- Kirill described xenophobia in Russia as a "problem,"
although he thought the media were exaggerating its severity
and local officials do not manage it well. In Kirill's view
xenophobia and racism were more severe problems "ten years
ago" but, Kirill added, he did not want to minimize the
magnitude of the current problems;

-- Kirill endorsed the Ambassador's proposal that the ROC and
the Embassy establish a better channel for communication
about issues of mutual concern, including religious freedom.
Embassy subsequently discussed further the Ambassador's
proposal with Vsevolod Chaplin, who had been informed of
Kirill's endorsement and said he was willing to be a point of
contact in establishing the channel.
BURNS