Moscow (AsiaNews) – In a message read by Card Walter Kasper, Pope Benedict XVI has extended his greetings to the participants in the World Religious Summit. In it the Holy Father expressed his appreciation for "everybody's commitment to promoting dialogue between civilisations" and urged "all Christians [. . .] to gain better insight into each other's principles and ideas".

Repeating the views he articulated in last Sunday's Angelus, the Pope stressed that the event underway was a sign of the "shared desire to promote dialogue between civilizations and the search for a world order that is more just and peaceful".

In the message, read by the chairman of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Pope expressed hope that "[t]hanks to every person's sincere contribution, it will be possible to find avenues of effective cooperation based on mutual respect and understanding. It will help respond to modern challenges."

Speaking directly to Christians he said: "For Christians, it is a matter of learning to know one another ever more deeply and to respect each other, in the light of human dignity and mankind's eternal destiny."

The Russian Orthodox Church, which has organised the summit that attracted more than 200 representatives from different confessions, has only invited a Vatican "delegation". Because of long-standing tensions with the Moscow Patriarchate, a papal visit to Russia is still not in the offing.

Cardinal Kasper today said in fact that the "issue is still not on the agenda," but that it was certain that "every meeting will contribute to setting the stage for such a trip."