Accessibility of John XXIII Mass Welcomed by Moscow Orthodox Patriarch

The letter of Pope Benedict XVI to allow wider celebration of the Mass according to the 1962 Missal has received a positive reaction from the Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow, who considers it a positive step and a sign of improvement of Catholic-Orthodox relations.CZECH

Rome: 'The recovery and valuing of the ancient liturgical tradition is a fact that we greet positively,' Alexy II told the Italian daily Il Giornale. He commented the Pope Benedict XVI's apostolic letter Summorum pontificum, published in July, which allows the use of the 1962 Missal as an 'extraordinary form of the liturgical celebration'.

'We hold very strongly to tradition,' Patriarch Alexy II continued. 'Without the faithful guardianship of liturgical tradition, the Russian Orthodox Church would not have been able to resist the period of persecution.' Answering the question on the relationship between both Churches, the patriarch said: 'Benedict XVI has repeated many times that he desires to work in favour of dialogue and collaboration with the Orthodox Churches. And this is positive.' A possible meeting of the two heads must be well-prepared in order to be 'an encounter that truly helps to consolidate relations between our two Churches.'