What he means is Catholic proselytizing in Russia and Greek Catholics victimizing the Orthodox Christian community in Ukraine, explained the Patriarch.
"We recently established a joint ad hoc team to delve into problems in our contacts. The sessions the team has held informed the Catholic side about practical instances that alarmed the Russian Orthodox. Now, we expect the Roman Catholic Church to make practical steps to cure the matter," said Alexis II.
True, the Roman Catholic Church is reassuring the Russian Orthodox of the utmost respect and brotherly feelings, and says it has given up proselytizing efforts in the Orthodox Christian midst. Actual developments in Russia and other CIS countries show, however, that a certain part of the Catholic clergy has just the contrary stances on Orthodox Christianity, the Patriarch went on.
"Catholic priests and monks are out to convert into their denomination as many people as they can who were baptized into Orthodoxy and belong to it by culture and ancestral roots. We regard it as a blatant instance of non-fraternal attitudes," stressed Alexis II. To illustrate his point, he made a reference to orphans and abandoned children baptized into Orthodox Christianity and brought up in the Roman Catholic spirit.
"There is another bad problem that casts a shadow on our contacts. That is a conflict between Orthodox believers and Greek Catholics in Ukraine. Greek Catholics and nationalist-minded secular authorities are persecuting Orthodox Christians, and making obstacles to the Russian Orthodox Church as it undertakes construction of houses of prayer and other community buildings," complained the Patriarch.
