In these conditions, he noted, the Council will have to answer the following questions: "Can the countries with centuries-old Orthodox traditions remain disunited; is it permissible for the separated voices of the Orthodox nations to be lost in the many-voiced chorus of world cultures; should the Orthodox nations coordinate their participation in international processes, preserving and asserting at the same time their moral and public ideals?
"Russia does not aspire to reign and possess. The Russian Orthodox Church wishes to serve the cause of unity of the Orthodox nations," the Patriarch underscored. The evidence of the Orthodox civilization, as he put it, "can enrich the life of many other peoples." "For the sake of preserving the unity of the Orthodox world we must keep in mind the community of the spiritual ways of the fraternal Orthodox Churches," Alexis the Second believes.
"It is gratifying that positive tendencies have taken shape in our relations with the Russian Foreign Orthodox Church. And the hope does exist that the division, caused by the tragic events of the last century's history will at last be overcome," the Patriarch noted.
