M o s c o w – The personal relationships between leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists are outstanding. On the local, grass-roots level however many problems remain. That was the conclusion of Vitali Vlasenko (Moscow), Director of the Baptist Department for External Relations, following a recent second summit in Moscow. On that occasion, the two 20-person delegations led by the Orthodox Metropolitan Cyril and Baptist President Yuri Sipko passed a common declaration. It states that during the Communist period both Orthodox and Baptist Christians had suffered. In the future, both churches want to oppose “crimes committed for religious or nationalistic reasons”. The text notes that Baptists are one of the country’s traditional religious minorities and consequently worthy of Orthodox support. Both denominations thereby distance themselves from newer religious movements which entered the country following the collapse of communism in 1990. The summit took place under the heading of “The Correctness of Traditional Values and Freedom of Conscience”.

According to Vlasenko, these second sessions following an initial meeting in April 2004 and were marked by an unmistakably hearty atmosphere. In private conversations both sides lamented the persistence of lower-level disputes. Baptist mission efforts are often combated by the Orthodox and Baptists on their part seriously question the faith of Orthodox believers. Both sides aim to struggle for the reduction of tensions. A third summit scheduled for late February is intended to serve this end.

According to church circles, Orthodox concern about improved relations with the Baptists can be seen in the present efforts of Metropolitan Cyril to bring the Evangelical Christians-Baptists along to the Third European Ecumenical Assembly taking place in Sibiu, Rumania from 4 to 9 September. The conference with the motto of “The Light of Christ Shines Upon All” is expected to host 2.500 delegates from throughout Europe.