Vatican and Orthodox talks in Moscow

A delegation from the Vatican has been having talks in Moscow with Russian Orthodox Church leaders, without any apparent progress on setting a new date for a meeting between the heads of the two Churches.

However, a member of the Catholic delegation is quoted as saying the talks went well, and he hoped that a meeting between the Pope and Patriarch Alexi would not be too far off.

The talks are also said to have covered such issues as the ecumenical movement, relations between Catholics and Orthodox people in Russia and the former Soviet nations and the upcoming millennium celebrations.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service