Cathedral in Moscow

Cathedral in Moscow

The Roman Catholic Cathedral in Moscow. The Catholic Church is not interested in "poaching" the Orthodox faithful in Russia from their Orthodox congregations, but rather in preaching the Gospel to unbelievers in Russia. Despite bouts of intense persecution, the Catholic Church in Russia is now growing rapidly. Unthinkable under the Soviet years, they now even use beautiful buildings like the pictured cathedral. The upgrading in the administrative structure of the Catholic Church in Russia helped to contribute to the construction of buildings like this, but it also caused intense controversy in the earlier part of the last decade. The fact that this controversy seems to be cooling down at least somewhat and the Catholics can use this building in peace is a positive indicator for the Catholic hopes of reconciliation. By their particular presence in Moscow, home of the Patriarchate of the largest Orthodox Church, they hope to work to narrow the Great Schism of 1054 that separates Western Christianity from Eastern Christianity.

Picture from Rzhevsky, Sergei. "Picturesque Catholic Cathedral of Moscow City." 11 January 2014. Accessed 4 May 2014 <http://russiatrek.org/blog/photos/picturesque-catholic-cathedral-of-moscow-city/>.

2014