26 May 2008 Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, visits St.Tikhon Orthodox University.

On Monday, May 26, 2008, Cardinal Kasper had a meeting with staff and students of our University. Although he had been to Moscow before, it was the first time for him to speak to PSTGU students.

In his speech he stressed the need for Orthodox-Catholic dialogue. It is based on the positions the two Churches share on many problems that the world poses for Christianity today. He claimed that our two Churches have much in common, and that points must be laid as the basement of the development of Orthodox-Catholic cooperation - for instance, veneration of saints, similar attitude toward Sacraments and Eucharist, similar views on episcopate. In this way, he emphasized, we are much more congenial with each other, than with Protestants.

After the short speech Cardinal Kasper answered different questions, which were being sent to him from the audience by means of small notes.

Being asked about the attitude to Anglican Church, he said about impossibility to accept their women episcopate cause. On the question about celibacy in modern Catholic Church Cardinal Kasper noted, that although this norm was not ever a dogma, but it remained a very ancient church tradition, that's why Roman Catholic Church was not inclined to change something concerning this rule. But the Roman Catholic Church wouldn't force any other Church to obey it, as they allow some deviations here.

The Head of Comparative Theology Department, Revd.Valentin Vasechko, asked about the official position on dogmatic development theory, which is not clearly enough interpreted in Catholic Dogmatics. Cardinal answered rather evasively, that while it is not accepted officially in Catholicism, but it is accepted so-to-say latently.

The working language of the meeting was German, as native to Cardinal Kasper and more convenient to him.

Additional materials:

Photo: Report about the meeting (using Flash)