According to the Bollettino, Cardinal Etchegaray "handed to the Head of the Russian Orthodox Church a cordial message from Pope Benedict XVI, accompanied by a personal gift". The Patriarch, "who particularly thanked the Pope's gesture" wrote a "personal response" to the Pontiff.
Interfax reports that:
Interfax reports that:
"A meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II is becoming evermore likely, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, President [Emeritus] of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals said after a meeting with the Patriarch.
"The sides are progressing towards this goal, and the pace is accelerating, but the Roman Catholic Church cannot make it happen quicker, he said."
