Zagreb, November 25, 2002 (IKA) — The area of ecumenical dialogue has reached a new situation — the situation of maturation, said the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper of Germany, in an interview for the Catholic monthly magazine Kana (November 2002).
Cardinal Kasper pointed out that during the past decades, there has been great progress in relations with the Protestant Churches. With the joint statement entitled Justification by Faith Alone, many disputes have disappeared that had arisen in the 16th century. “Justification” is now acknowledged, which is very important for the continued development of dialogue in order for us to testify to the world on the common values of faith, noted Cardinal Kasper, adding that this is very important at this moment, when secularism is spreading and encroaching upon the marrow of the human community in Europe.
In response to a question on whether the appointment of the new Anglican primate will further good relations with the Anglican Church, Cardinal Kasper responded that until now they had not had the opportunity to meet with the new archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, but according to the press, there are indications that dialogue will continue.
Cardinal Kasper warned of problems in connection with the relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. In response to the question of whether the proposals by Belarus and Slovenia for meetings to be held in their countries between Pope John Paul II and Alexy II will be accepted, he said that for now he does not see such a possibility because the Russian Orthodox Church constantly reiterates that the existing problems must be solved prior to such a meeting but for now the Russian Orthodox Church does not want any dialogue whatsoever. They constantly maintain that it is necessary to solve problems but they do not want to speak with us about their solution, said the cardinal. Good relations with the Russian Orthodox Church are important to us regarding the providing of spiritual and material assistance to believers. We feel that we have the right to exist in the territory of the Russian Federation because the Catholic Church is a traditional Church in this region. It has existed there since the Middle Ages. Therefore, the presence of the Catholic Church in Russia is nothing new and we seek religious freedom, said Cardinal Kasper.
He spoke about his visit to Belgrade and meeting with Patriarch Pavle, concluding that he had encountered a strong desire for dialogue from the Serbian Orthodox Church. When he arrived in Belgrade, he was met by government authorities who, in his words, want to take Serbia off its dead-end course. Serbia wants to integrate in Europe, and in this sense the Serbian Orthodox Church is open to European concepts of mutual relations, pointed out Cardinal Kasper in his interview for Kana, conducted by Aldo Sinkovic.