The three day visit to Turkey by the Newly elected Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has led to a thawing in relations between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill both led Sunday prayers together two weekends ago in a show of unity.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said the two churches must overcome differences, though he stressed his church’s status as “first among equals” with the historic role of coordinating between the various Orthodox branches, of which Russia’s is the largest.
“From time to time clouds have temporarily overshadowed ties between the brethren churches,” Bartholomew said after the service, addressing newly elected Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill.
“These …must immediately be sent to their places in the pages of history.”
The two churches have been wrangling for influence over Soviet republics Estonia and Ukraine, with the Moscow Patriarchate struggling to maintain control over all 95 million of the Orthodox believers it claims.
However the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized that: “The strength of our shared tradition of faith is stronger than any human division.”
Bartholomew invited Kirill to take part in next year’s pilgrimage in Cappadocia, an area central to the development and spread of the early Church.
Lastly, Kirill met Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Religious Affairs Secretary Ali Baltakoglu.
Patriarch Kirill said on Monday during a news conference with the head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, Ali Bardakoglu, that he had information that the seminary would be opened shortly.