Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vienna (Fides Service) - For the first time an organism of the Holy See and the Patriarchate of Moscow have organised together a Meeting on Culture in Europe, to be held in Vienna 3-5 May 2006. The meeting, a fruit of a visit by Cardinal Poupard to His Holiness Alexis II, Patriarch of Moscow in November 2004, was born of common concern of Christians in Europe for the present day process of loss of identity on the Continent, to reflect on the Christian roots of Europe and propose with conviction a programme for the future. Culture in fact reveals itself to be, as John Paul II foresaw when he founded the Pontifical Council for Culture, common soil for dialogue among Christians of different confessions.
The Meeting, sponsored by the Pro Oriente Foundation, will be co-chaired by Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture and Metropolita Kyrill of Smolensk e Kaliningrad, president Department for Foreign Relations of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow. Participants will include experts, religious and lay people from all over the world, invited jointly by the two organising bodies. The Meeting will be moderated by Rev. P. Bernard Ardura, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture and Rev. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, vice president of the Department for Foreign Relations of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 2/5/2006, righe 16, parole 217)
