Inside Vatican<\/a><\/p>\nThe end of state atheism in Russia in 1991 and the return to Christian faith in that country, at least in a modest way, in the years since — opinions on the extent of Russia’s religious renewal are sharply divided — seemed something impossible in the 1960s, 1970, 1980s…<\/p>\n
Pope John Paul II fervently desired that change so that Europe might regain its spiritual health and “breathe with two lungs” — Eastern as well as Western, Greek as well as Latin, Orthodox as well as Catholic… despite all the centuries of division and mistrust since the “Great Schism” of 1054.<\/p>\n
In the long process of this new “breathing” a special moment occurred on September 29 at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome.<\/p>\n
On the morning of September 29, Benedict XVI welcomed the Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Patriarchate of Moscow’s Department for External Church Relations — the equivalent of the “Foreign Minister” of the Russian Orthodox Church (photo above).<\/p>\n
It was the third meeting between the Pope and the Metropolitan, following Hilarion’s election as the Department’s leader.<\/p>\n
Hilarion gave Benedict as a gift an icon of St. Benedict of Norcia, who is of course Pope Benedict’s patron saint (because the Pope’s name is Benedict), and the Pope received the icon with pleasure.<\/p>\n
Here is a video which shows the Pope meeting with Hialrion and greeting his entourage. It is worth the 60 seconds it takes to view it:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.monomakhos.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/benedict-hilarion.png\" "\\"benedict-hilarion\\"")
<\/a>