Pope returns revered icon to Russia

Seeking to end almost a thousand-year rift between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, the Vatican yesterday presented its eastern rival with a revered icon of the Virgin Mary. Its absence from Russia - especially since it was in the hands of Rome - has been a source of resentment for many decades.

The icon has hung on Pope John Paul II's wall for the past 11 years. The Pope had wanted to return the icon in person on an official visit to Russia, but Alexy II, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has made it clear he is not welcome.

So, acting on the personal wishes of the 84-year-old supreme pontiff, Cardinal Walter Kasper handed over the bejewelled icon to Patriarch Alexy II during an elaborate ceremony in the Kremlin.

Although the Icon of the Kazan Madonna is thought to be a 17th- or 18th-century copy - albeit superb - of the original, which dates back to 1579 and went missing in 1904, the religious relic has enormous spiritual resonance in Russia. Crafted from gold and wood and studded with precious stones, the icon is believed to have miracle-working powers: the original is credited with facilitating the rout of Polish troops from Moscow in 1612.

Animosity between the two churches dates back to 1054, when the Great Schism occurred and the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity went their own ways. Since the collapse of Communism in 1991, relations between the churches have sunk still lower, with Moscow accusing Rome of trying to poach its believers, a claim the Catholic Church fiercely denies.

But in a recent interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Alexy II said the Catholic Church "must radically change its policy towards the Orthodox branch and end unfriendly premeditated actions". The Pope is anxious to make headway in bringing the churches closer together and hopes for a historic reconciliation.

Before the icon left Rome for Moscow he said that he hoped it would "speed the day of full unity of the faithful".