MOSCOW - The Catholic Church must admit that it has been seeking converts in Russia before any dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church can take place, an Orthodox official said Thursday.
"The Catholic Church must understand that it is wrong, instead of making artificial excuses," Metropolitan Kirill, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's external relations department, told the Interfax news agency.
"Only after such a confession can we start a dialogue on the basis of realities, instead of myths created by the Catholics," he said.
Orthodox leaders have accused the Catholic Church of proselytizing on Orthodox territory, and were infuriated when the Vatican upgraded its presence in Russia in February by creating four full-fledged dioceses.
The Catholic Church insists is not seeking converts, but simply trying to provide pastoral services to Russia's estimated 600,000 Catholics.
The dispute has turned nastier in recent weeks, after Russian authorities barred a Polish bishop and an Italian priest, both of whom work in Russia, from entering the country. Russian officials have given no explanation for the incidents.
The dispute has also clouded prospects for a visit by Pope John Paul II, who has expressed a desire to come to Russia to promote reconciliation between the two branches of Christianity.
Orthodox leaders have long said that all the problems between the two churches, including the allegations of Catholic proselytizing and disputes over church property in western Ukraine, must be cleared up before they will consider a papal visit. However, in an interview last week, Patriarch Alexy II indicated willingness to meet with the pope if he could be sure the two churches' disputes would be solved by such an encounter.
About two-thirds of Russia's 144 million people are Orthodox.