North Asia

The Russian version of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be presented on Tuesday at Moscow’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The decision to have Catechism published belongs to Pope John Paul II who also wanted a shorter version made available to anyone interested in it. I hope it will “serve as an effective instrument of evangelisation and strengthening of Christian faith and contribute to cooperation between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches,” says Archbishop Kondrusiewicz.

The two countries seal agreement to send a spacecraft to Mars and its moon, Phobos. Contracts worth US$ 4 billion are signed, but there is no progress on the Siberian oil pipeline. Despite sometimes diverging interests both Moscow and Beijing pursue closer ties, partly to counter US influence.

Russian Orthodox clergy in Alapayevsk launch campaign to provide mothers economic help for not aborting. Women receive a thousand rubles a month without distinction of religion. Result is a 40 per cent drop in number of abortions.

The three-day state visit coincides with the start of the Year of China in Russia. For Beijing Russian oil and gas are important, but so are trade and military cooperation. Moscow, too, has its eyes turned eastward. Both countries want to reduce US role.

Through his spokesman the Iranian president suggests he might have new things to say during the Security Council session that will discuss new sanctions against Iran. Some reports suggest Russia threatened Iran of withholding nuclear fuel if it does not suspend its uranium enrichment programme.

UN secretary praises Saudi peace proposal before going to the region. Plan includes israeli withdrawal to 1967 borders. Israel and United States view changes in Palestinian government as insufficient. Contrasts continued within Palestinian government.

Two priests, ordained last August by the North Korean Orthodox Church, visited Vladivostok to learn about Lenten celebrations and the Easter Liturgy. The links between the two Churches remains, both under the authority of Alexi II.

The Russian president inked the last economic and trade deals in Italy before flying off to Greece. His reasons to visit Rome and the Vatican largely reflect Russia’s eternal fear of encirclement and its quest for ‘warm’ waters.

Human rights are not well protected in Russia. Arbitrary arrests, torture, persecution of journalists and state-sanctioned murders are all too common. As Russian President Putin begins a state visit to Italy, human rights groups want Italian leaders to raise the issue of human rights violations and not only focus on the economy. The crisis in Chechnya runs the risk of turning into an Islamic revolt affecting the entire northern Caucasus.

A Vatican statement tells of a “very positive atmosphere” and “cordial relations”. Putin referred greetings from Alexi II, the Pope in turn sent his greetings to the Patriarch. Moscow Patriarchate sources tended to exclude that Benedict XVI and the Russian President would have touched on questions linked to relations between Catholics and Orthodox in Moscow.

Tomorrow the Russian President will make his first visit to Benedict; officials of the Russian Orthodox Church underline that it is “only a meeting between two heads of state”. However the Nuncio to the Russian Federation speaks of “ecumenical progress”.

According to North Korea’s vice foreign minister, just returned from 2 days of talks with the US, Washington will not include North Korea on the next list of States who sponsor terrorism, due out in April. Also discussed the possibility of foreign minister-level meeting among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.