Moscow (AsiaNews) The Vatican backs efforts by the Russian Orthodox Church to take the teaching of religion into schools. The statement is made in a letter written by the apostolic nuncio, Antonio Mennini, in reply to the Orthodox Bishop Mark (vice-president of the Department of External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate). Around two weeks ago, the latter had asked the Vatican representative to clarify the official position of the Holy See regarding instruction in schools. Some excerpts of the letter were released yesterday by the Department of External Relations of the Moscow Orthodox Patriarchate.
The matter, hotly discussed in Russia in recent days, threatened to create new tensions between the two churches. Orthodox analysts in the country interpreted the arrival of Cardinal Walter Kasper (president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity) in the Russian capital on 20 June as an attempt to patch up the cracks. The controversy was sparked when the Catholic Metropolitan of Moscow, Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, said it was better for pupils in high schools to tackle matters like religious education and the foundations of religion in churches rather than classrooms. These words led Bishop Mark to accuse Kondrusiewicz of putting dialogue between Orthodox and Catholics at risk.
In his letter, the nuncio assured the patriarch that "the Catholic Church in Russia will support the efforts of the Orthodox Church regarding religious and spiritual instruction of the Russian people, in the spirit of respect for the principles of freedom of conscience." Mennini emphasized that the Vatican "has always approved the teaching of the Catholic religion in all schools".
In Russia, a federal law forbids religion in schools and the national Constitution sanctions the separation between church and state. The Orthodox Church has officially asked that a course on the "foundations of orthodox culture" be introduced in high schools.