POPE JOHN PAUL II INVADES RUSSIAN 'CANONICAL ETHER- SPACE'

Moscow (Fides) - With the statement given below, the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Russia invites Moscow's Catholics, young people especially, to meet the Pope for a prayer service. A television link will bring the Pope into the Immaculate Conception Cathedral for the recitation of the Rosary. One of the five decades, preceded by a brief testimony, will be led in Russian by young Moscovites and answered in their own respective language by Catholics gathered in other cathedrals across Europe and Pope John Paul II in Rome.

This is the first time anything similar has been arranged in Russia. It assumes special importance since the Pope raised Catholic Church structures here to the rank of dioceses, united in an ecclesiastical province. The meeting, although virtual, will meet to some extent the ardent desire of many Russians, and not only Catholics, to see Pope John Paul II in Moscow. These expectations come up against concern voiced by a nationalist Orthodox minority which last Friday organized a peaceful demonstration under the windows of the Papal Nunciature in Moscow to protest against Catholic "proselytism". The demonstrators were promptly answered by Nuncio Archbishop Giorgio Zur. On February 22 he issued a statement telling the protesters that they were protesting against their own Catholic countrymen and women, not against the Vatican, and that this was only fostering a climate of intolerance in Russia. Here is the statement issued by the Catholic Bishops of Russia (Fides' Translation)

Conference of the Catholic Bishops of the Russian federation
Information Centre

POPE OF ROME VISITS MOSCOW VATICAN/MOSCOW LIVE TELEVISION LINK

The Pope of Rome, John Paul II, who for a series of reasons cannot as yet make a personal visit to the Catholics of Russia, will make a virtual visit to the Catholic Cathedral of Moscow on March 2, 2002. A television link will put Russian Catholics in contact with the Pope.

The televised common act of prayer presided by the Pope, will be preceded by a solemn Mass for the Unity of Christians in Europe at the Cathedral presided by Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz at 7pm. The television link will unite Moscow's Catholics with Catholics in Athens, Budapest, Strasbourg, Vienna and Valencia and Rome. At the end of the prayer the Pope will impart his Apostolic Blessing on all the participants. (Fides 26/2/2002)

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