Vatican Officials Talk with Russian, Ukraine Political Leaders

VATICAN, Oct 23, 02 (CWNews.com) - A Vatican official from the Secretariat of State is in Moscow this week for talks with government officials there, while another Vatican envoy is engaged in talks with the Ukrainian leadership.

Msgr. Celestino Migliore, the Undersecretary for Relations with States, arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, and met with Alexei Mieschkov, the Russian vice-minister of foreign affairs. Their talks reportedly centered on three issues: the crisis involving Iraq, the general situation in Europe, and the bilateral relations between Russia and the Holy See.

Relations between Rome and Moscow have been strained this year by the expulsion of five Catholic priests from their parishes in Russia. The Vatican has made several requests for an explanation of the expulsions, and has made no effort to disguise its dissatisfaction with the bland responses from Moscow.

While Msgr. Migliore is in Moscow, Cardinal Walter Kasper-- the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity-- is in Ukraine, where he has met with President Leonid Kuchma. There too, the talks revolved around relations between the government and the Holy See. The Ukrainian leader is also reported to have expressed his concern over the disputes among three competing Orthodox groups which claim to speak for the Ukrainian Orthodox people.