Top Russian cleric has meeting with Pope Benedict XVI

Rome (ENI). A senior leader of the Russian Orthodox Church has met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, a visit seen adding credence to reports of a thaw in relations between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Roman Catholic Church. An announcement by the Vatican said that Pope Benedict on 7 December had an audience with Metropolitan Kirill, the head of the external relations department of the Moscow Patriarchate. It gave no details of discussions between the two religious leaders, but Kirill was later scheduled to address a media conference. [454 words, ENI-07-0951]

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