Russian Orthodox leader firm in closing door on papal visit

MOSCOW – The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church emphasized Friday that Pope John Paul II is not welcome in Russia, reiterating that an icon the pontiff once hoped to return personally in a conciliatory gesture is a copy of a revered 16th-century work.

Patriarch Alexy II told President Vladimir Putin that the icon – known as the Mother of God of Kazan – will be turned over to the Russian Orthodox Church at the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Kremlin later this month, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

But Alexy noted that the icon, now at the Vatican, previously was determined to be “one of many copies” of the original.

“For that reason there is no need for the pope himself to bring it,” ITAR-Tass quoted him as saying.

John Paul had once hoped to return the icon himself and become the first Roman Catholic pontiff to visit Russia, but sour relations with the Russian Orthodox Church have prevented such a trip.

The aging pope’s desire for a historic visit to Russia is part of his efforts to promote greater Christian unity a millennium after Christianity split into eastern and western branches. But Russian Orthodox leaders strongly oppose a visit, accusing the Catholic church of seeking converts in Russia and other traditionally Orthodox lands.

The icon, which first appeared in the city of Kazan in 1579, is revered by Russian believers for its purported ability to work miracles, including the rout of Polish invaders from Russia in the early 17th century. It was taken to the West after the 1917 Russian Revolution and disappeared.

The Russian Orthodox Church said last year the icon obtained by the Vatican in the 1970s was a copy and could “under no circumstances be considered a reason” for a visit by John Paul.

Orthodox leaders did agree for papal representatives to bring the icon to Russia on Aug. 28, but Alexy’s statement underlined the persistent animosity between his church and the Vatican.

“There is nothing new in negotiations with the Roman Catholic Church, except that on the Day of the Assumption, August 28th, the icon of the Mother of God of Kazan, which was stored in the Vatican, will be returned,” ITAR-Tass quoted Alexy as telling Putin.

But he added, “It is one of many copies, not the original miracle-working image that disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century.”