Pope Benedict XVI (right) and the Orthodox archbishop of Cyprus, Chrysostomos II (left) exchange gifts during their meeting at the Vatican, yesterday. The man at centre is a translator. - Reuters

VATICAN CITY (AP):

Pope Benedict XVI told a visiting Cypriot Orthodox leader yesterday that he holds firm hope that the Catholic and Orthodox churches can be united, despite centuries of painful division.

They also explored how the two sides could work together on bioethical issues and other concerns.

Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus has offered to play the role of mediator to try to arrange a ground-breaking meeting between the pope and the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow, Alexy II. That encounter eluded the late John Paul II in his long papacy because of Catholic-Orthodox tensions following the demise of Soviet communism.

There were no immediate details about whether their talks yielded progress on arranging a meeting between the pontiff and the patriarch. Chrysostomos scheduled a news conference for later yesterday.

Theologian background

Chrysostomos has contended that Benedict's background as a theologian with a good grasp of Orthodox theology would help the process of reuniting the two churches that split nearly 1,000 years ago.

The Russian church accuses Roman Catholics of improperly seeking converts in areas that traditionally would be Russian Orthodox. The Vatican has rejected theproselytising accusations, saying it is only ministering to Russia's tiny Catholic community of about 600,000 people in a country of 144 million.

"I welcome you with joy," Benedict told the Cypriot. Despite "centuries-old divisions, diverging roads and despite the hard work of closing painful wounds, the Lord has never ceased to guide our steps on the path toward unity and reconciliation," the pontiff said at a ceremony after the two men held private talks for more than 30 minutes.

In a joint statement signed by both leaders, they pledged to "intensify the search for full unity among all Christians."

Benedict described the archbishop's visit as a "very useful initiative to make us progress toward the unity desired by Christ."