Russia is not ready for the arrival of the Pope, but he can surprise her
Preparations for the Pope's visit to Russia will not be discussed during the upcoming negotiations between Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolino and the leadership of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. Secretary General of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia Igor Kovalevsky stated this today at a press conference in Moscow.
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“My purely personal opinion: our society is not yet mature enough to accept the Pope. There is no need to rush things. The fact that the Pope met with the Patriarch a year and a half ago is already the greatest breakthrough. It is possible to continue these meetings in third countries. But it is premature to talk about the Patriarch visiting the Vatican and the Pope coming to Moscow. The Russian Orthodox Church and society must prepare for this,” Kovalevsky said.
The executive secretary of the Catholic Encyclopedia, Alexey Yudin, objected to him.
“We are not ready, but the Pope may be ready. Pope Francis differs from his predecessors in his spontaneity and penchant for improvisation and unexpected things. He will take it and appear at Sheremetyevo at passport control,” Yudin said.
He believes that in the context of difficult relations between Russia and the West, the pontiff’s visit could trigger a “reset of existing global value schemes.”
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