A vigil of prayer last night at 8.45 pm, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow. Russia’s Catholics decided to support like this, by praying, today’s epoch-marking meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, in Cuba. “An epoch-marking event – the apostolic nuncio of the Russian Federation, monsignor Ivan Jurkovič, says from Moscow – which is not only looked to by Christians but by the whole world, and which says that reconciliation is a long but possible process, despite all difficulties”. “The scope of this moment – the nuncio goes on – will be better understood from a historical perspective. We are experiencing a much-awaited moment, prepared over the years by a lot of good will. A process that had to go through some uneasy steps to reach this successful ending”. The nuncio tells that “Russian society is peacefully, very nicely, waiting. On one hand, it feels like something that seemed to be so difficult is actually happening. On the other hand, we are witnessing something that had been much awaited”. And, as to the role that the Russian Catholic Church played in this long process of reconciliation between the two Churches, he states: “I think the most positive thing is a new understanding of our being in Russia”. “With time, with raising awareness, even the Churches have come to realise that for the Catholic community it was and is essential to have good relations with Orthodoxy. We are living in a cultural scenario that is inspired by Orthodoxy. Therefore it became apparent that not only one must find one’s right place in this scenario. With time, we realised that that is also the beauty of our Church”.