Wow! I hope they don't forget their peashooters.
Posted on 12/04/2009 4:59:13 AM PST by markomalley
Vatican City – The Vatican and Russia agreed Thursday to establish 'full diplomatic relations’. The announcement follows a meeting between Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Exceptionally, Medvedev had previously met Card Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State, and Mgr Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States. The Russian president was accompanied by a large delegation that included Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov. The announcement concludes a long process that began with Mikhail Gorbachev’s visit on 1 December 1989 to Pope John Paul II. On that historic occasion, the two leaders decided to start relations between the Holy See and what was then the Soviet Union, with the appointment of a representative of the president to the Holy See. However, they were not actual diplomatic relations. Today’s announcement was certainly helped by better relations between the Vatican and the Moscow Patriarchate.
Tonight’s news comes as no surprise and was partly anticipated in July. On the Kremlin’s website, the Russian president was quoted as saying, “So I can only say that we have relations with the Vatican, there are representative missions from both sides, and we are discussing whether to bring this relationship to a higher level that is whether to change our relationship to one that is characterized by embassy and diplomatic relations. And it seems to me that this would be perfectly normal.”
In a statement about today’s meeting, the Vatican Information Service said that both sides expressed their satisfaction for their cordial relations and agreed to establish full diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Russian Federation.
“After an exchange of opinions on the international economic and political situation, that also referred to the Encyclical ‘Caritas in Veritate’, the two leaders discussed the current challenges to security and peace. The Pope also gave the president a copy of the Russian edition of the Encyclical. The two leaders then talked about cultural and social issues of common interest like the family and the contributions of believers to Russian life.”
Dmitri Medvedev is the third Russian president (fifth if the USSR is counted) to visit the Vatican. The first (Soviet) president was Nikolai Podgorny who, on 30 January 1967, held a 70-minute talk with Pope Paul VI on peace and the Vietnam War.
More than 20 years later after the fall of the Berlin Wall, another Soviet head of state, Mikhail Gorbachov, walked up the stairs to the pontifical apartments, where he was received in audience by John Paul II. In 1985 then Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko had already visited the Vatican where he spoke with John Paul II for more than two hours. Nothing is known about what was discussed in that meeting, which occurred at a crucial moment in the history of Poland, after the banning of the independent Solidarity trade union.
Another president, the first for the Russian federation, followed in 1998 when Boris Yeltsin visited the Vatican. His successor, Vladimir Putin, came in 2000 and 2003, and once more in 2007 when he met Benedict XVI.
BTTT.
My 1st thought is “good news”. In the least it is very interesting. Thanks for posting.
Uncle Joe ("how many divisions does the Pope have?") just got another red hot pitchfork in his rear end.
Divisions? You mean Legions? I’m hearing rumours that the Rhine Legion of our “Ladies of Sorrows” tour buses which number something on the order of 2,500 Coaches of weeping nuns, Polish, American and South American tourists is expected to cross over into Russia next week wherein they will launch a Novena against St. Petersburg. Once the Novena is to be completed they will be re-inforced by the Trastevere Legion of Deacons with Incense who are expected to lead the buses into the heart of St. Petersburg which is expected to capitualte after only an hour or so as the residents thereof wheeze and cough their way to total surrender, overcome by the billowing clouds of Incense. I’m also hearing that this will be an ecumenical effort, assited by the Philadephia Legion of Salvation Army Bell Ringers, needed to lead the procession with their bells as no one will be able to see anything through the thick clouds of incense. The captulation will be known to be complete when flocks of homing pigeons take flight over the city dropping 500,000 prayer cards. The Russians will be told that they can escape years of toil at the Vatican gardens under the cruel tutelage of Quasimodo, the Hunchback Chief Gardner to the Holy See, by buying Indulgences and boxes of votive candles and agreeing to a period of 40 days of fasting, praying and asking for forgiveness for the worship of Icons, (which of course, they must through into the burn pile in the middle of town).
It’s going to be a very messy affair in Russia and the flu masks will be totally useless.
Wow! I hope they don't forget their peashooters.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.