The Russian Orthodox Church enthroned on Sunday its new leader, Patriarch Kirill, at a ceremony held in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow.
Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad was elected as the 16th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia on January 27 by the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, succeeding Patriarch Alexy II, who died in December at the age of 79.
A delegation led by Kasper was received on Monday by Patriarch Kirill and handed the Russian Patriarch a chalice as a sign that the two churches could eventually "reach full communion."
The letter said: "You are now the successor of our beloved brother of revered memory, His Holiness Alexy II, who left his people a deep and abiding inheritance of ecclesial renewal and development, as he led the Russian Orthodox Church out of the long and difficult period of suffering under the totalitarian and atheistic system to a new, active presence and service in today's society."
"Patriarch Alexy II worked assiduously for the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church and for communion with the other Orthodox Churches. He likewise maintained a spirit of openness and cooperation with other Christians, and with the Catholic Church in particular, for the defense of Christian values in Europe and in the world," the message said.
"I am certain that Your Holiness will continue to build on this solid foundation, for the good of your people and for the benefit of Christians everywhere," it went on.
An articulate public speaker, Kirill is seen as a liberal figure in the largely traditionalist Russian church and led dialogue with the Vatican as head of the Russian Orthodox Church's external relations, a post he occupied for more than a decade.
Pope Benedict XVI earlier welcomed the election of Kirill as patriarch.
"May the Almighty also bless your efforts to seek that fullness of communion which is the goal of Catholic-Orthodox collaboration and dialogue," Pope Benedict said in his greeting message.
Relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican, which split almost 1,000 years ago, have been strained since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, mainly over accusations that the Catholic Church stepped up activities to convert believers. The Vatican has denied this.
The dispute prevented Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005, from visiting Moscow and meeting Alexy II.
