Catholic, Orthodox Churches Call Truce

After two days of talks, the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church have renewed a pledge not to poach each other’s members in Russia.

The collapse of the Soviet bloc ended religious restrictions in Russia, but also opened the way for a competition for souls between the dominant Orthodox and the smaller Roman Catholic churches.

Acknowledging that proselytism in Russia remains a problem and a cause of tensions, the two sides renewed their pledge not to “promote the switching of faithful from one church to another,” the Vatican said Monday.

The issue came up during regularly scheduled talks between the Vatican and the Moscow Patriarchate.