Italian cardinal voices regrets for missionary work in Russia

Dionigi Cardinal Tettamanzi

Function: Archbishop of Milano, Italy

Title: Cardinal Priest of Ss Ambrogio e Carlo

Birthdate: Mar 14, 1934	Country: Italy

Elevated: Feb 21, 1998	More information: www.catholic-hierarchy.org

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Italian cardinal voices regrets for missionary work in Russia
Oct 06, 2006
Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi (bio - news) condemned "proselytism" by Western missionaries in Russia and Eastern Europe, during a meeting in Moscow with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II, according to a report by the Interfax news service.

Moscow, Oct. 04 (CWNews.com) - "There must be no room for confessional competition in the name of the Gospel," Cardinal Tettamanzi said, according to the Interfax account. The Archbishop of Milan expressed "anguish" that some Christian missionaries, including Catholics, had "failed to discern and recognize the incomparable spiritual richness of holy Russia and to appreciate and respect the religious and cultural heritage of the great Orthodox tradition."

Russian Orthodox officials have frequently complained about "proselytism" by Catholics in Eastern Europe, a region which the Moscow patriarchate claims as its "canonical territory." Vatican officials have regularly responded to those complaints by saying that Catholic missionaries are bringing the Gospel to people who are not currently attached to any religious body. The vast majority of Russians do not attend religious services of any sort, although theoretically they are classified as Orthodox.

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