VZCZCXRO9583
RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHMO #1764 1891451
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081451Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4176
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 2232

UNCLAS MOSCOW 001764 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL KIRF SOCI RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH KIRILL PROPOSES 
STRONGER TIES BETWEEN U.S. AND RUSSIA 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary.  In advance of the July 6-8 visit to 
Moscow by President Obama, Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) 
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill welcomed stronger 
ties between the U.S. and Russia and proposed a religious 
component to international peace negotiations.  Kirill also 
pressed for a private meeting with the President during his 
visit.  The two did have a brief meeting on the margins of 
the luncheon hosted by President Medvedev.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Patriarch Kirill hosted Ambassador on July 3 at his 
working residence on Chistiy Lane in central Moscow. 
Accompanying the Patriarch in the meeting were the Head of 
the Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate for Parishes and 
Organizations Abroad Bishop Mark of Yegorevsky, Deputy 
Chairman of the Department for External Relations Archpriest 
Nicholas Balashov, Acting Secretary for Issues Concerning the 
Far-Abroad Nations Priest Sergey Zvonarev, and Orthodox 
Church of America Representative to the Moscow Patriarchate 
Archimandrite Zacchaeus.  Against the backdrop of the 
upcoming July 6-8 Presidential Summit and the Patriarch's 
historical meeting with Patriarch of Constantinople 
Bartholomew, the Patriarch welcomed stronger ties between the 
United States and Russia.  He stressed that commonalties 
outnumber the differences between the peoples of the United 
States and Russia, and he expressed appreciation for 
continued and friendly cooperation of the countries' 
respective religious communities. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Kirill expressed sincere interest in facilitating 
the integration of "new Russians" into American culture.  The 
Patriarch stated that Russian Orthodox missionaries brought 
Orthodoxy to the United States, a feat that paved the way for 
relations between Orthodox believers and those of other 
religions.  However, he noted that many former citizens of 
Russia and other FSU countries had experienced difficulty in 
adapting to life in the United States, and he hoped that the 
United States Government would be supportive of the efforts 
of the Orthodox Church of America (OCA) to help mitigate that 
adjustment.  He also noted that many former Soviet citizens, 
often incorrectly labeled as a "Russian mafia," no longer 
maintain ties to the ROC, but that these people should not be 
characterized as stereotypical of all Russian-speaking 
people. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Kirill told the Ambassador about a proposal, 
jointly conceived with one of the Chief Rabbis of Israel, 
that would provide a helpful religious component to 
international peace negotiations.  Commenting that conflicts 
in numerous hot spots around the world persist with great 
social and religious tension, Kirill believed that 
international peace negotiators should cede some 
responsibilities to religious leaders, who could use their 
expertise in conflict resolution.  Kirill added that many 
Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and Christian leaders supported the 
idea, and that he had already discussed it with United 
Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.  He hoped that either 
a prominent Christian or Jewish leader from the United States 
would join the ranks of supporters, and mentioned that Appeal 
of Conscience Foundation Director Arthur Schneier already 
backed the concept. 
 
¶5. (SBU)  Keenly interested in proving his equal stature with 
Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew, who met with 
President Obama in Istanbul, Kirill pressed Ambassador to 
secure a meeting with POTUS during his July 6-8 visit.  While 
acknowledging the hectic nature of President Obama's 
schedule, Kirill saw a potential meeting as a true 
opportunity to show that there is social and cultural 
cooperation between Russia and the United States.  The 
Patriarch had requested a private meeting in the weeks 
leading up to the Obama-Medvedev summit in Moscow, and 
ultimately met with POTUS briefly following an official 
luncheon at the Kremlin on July 7. 
BEYRLE