Mr. Zajaczkowski thanked His Holiness for the readiness to receive him on the eve of his return to Poland. “I am glad that it so happened that my last meeting takes place here, in your residence. I am grateful that you have found time to receive me at such a moment”, he said.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church noted that in the period of Mr. Zajaczkowski’s service as ambassador of Poland to Russia, many good things were done to develop the relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in Poland.
Recalling his visit to Poland and the signing of the Joint Message to the Peoples of Russia and Poland, His Holiness stressed the enduring importance of that document, which preserves its significance for the peoples of the two countries. “I would like to ask you to convey, among others, to the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Poland our readiness to continue the bilateral dialogue and seek results that would help to ensure that the relations between the Russian and Polish people change only for the better”, His Holiness said.
Participating in the meeting were also Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, a vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, Mr. M. Palacio, DECR secretariat for the far abroad, and Mr. Maciej Jakubik, first secretary of the Embassy of Poland to Russia.
DECR Communication Service
Photo by the Patriarchal Press Service
