Vatican mission In Moscow Discusses visit By the Pope

BY A STAFF REPORTER
THE POSSIBILITY of the Pope visiting Russia was reported to have been discussed in Moscow this week by a high-ranking Vatican delegation and members of the Russian Orthodox Church. The delegation arrived in Moscow last Saturday at the invitation of Patriarch Alexi, the 90-year-old head of the Russian Church.
Pope Paul has already met leaders of other Orthodox Churches and naturally wishes to make contact with Patriarch Alexi. As the churches in Russia exist on the sufferance of the Government the Patriarch's invitation to the Vatican to send a mission could have come only after being sanctioned by the Kremlin.
The Soviet Government's desire to improve relations with the Vatican became obvious in January when President Podgorny requested and was granted an audience with Pope Paul.
The Vatican said they had discussed the "maintenance of peace and the development of better relations among people." The Pope also "mentioned problems concerning the religious life and the presence of the Catholic Church in Soviet Union territories."
Later, in August, Archbishop Nikodim, Metropolitan of Leningrad and Patriarch Alexi's "Foreign Secretary," visited the Pope. His representative in London, Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, told me: "If the Pope does now visit ~Moscow he will naturally, as a Head of State, meet Government leaders besides the Patriarch. The visit would be of extreme importance."
REGULAR CONTACTS Cautiously announcing the mission on Saturday the Vatican Secretariat for Christian Unity said the talks were "in the framework of the regular contacts between the Roman Catholic Church and each of the Orthodox Churches."
The mission was having an "exchange of views" with Moscow and Leningrad theologians on "the social doctrines of the Catholic Church."
The delegation is led by Bishop John Willebrands, secretary of the Christian Unity Secretariat, and includes Mgr. Pietro Pavan, an expert on Christian social doctrine who helped Pope John to write his two most famous encyclicals Mater et magistra and Pacem in tern's.
Also in the delegation are Mgr. George Higgins, an American priest in the Secretariat, and Jesuit Frs. Jean Calvez and John Long.
VIETNAM PLAN?
Although the Secretariat's statement was aimed at preventing the importance of the talks being exaggerated, there was speculation in Rome that the Vatican may be launching an initiative for peace in Vietnam.
Simultaneously with the arrival of the Vatican team Metropolitan Nikodim returned from a visit to the United States. He said he found most U.S. churchmen in favour of ending the bombing of North Vietnam as a preliminary for peace.
During his 21-day stay in the U.S. the Metropolitan met Protestant and Jewish leaders. His delegation was returning a visit by the Church of the Brethren to the Soviet Union made last month.