Metropolitan Kirill is in Rome

The Meeting is today.

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2006 (VIS) - This evening in the Vatican, Benedict XVI will receive in audience Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, president of the Department for Foreign Ecclesiastical Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow.

Following the audience, due to take place at 6 p.m., the Orthodox representative will attend a concert given by the choir of Moscow's Sretenskiy Monastery in the Auditorium in Via della Conciliazione near the Vatican. The concert marks the consecration of the first Russian Orthodox church in Rome, dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, which is due to take place tomorrow.

Interfax has the usual spiel about good relations, but many differences.

Reaction from the meeting will of course be forthcoming.