Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Letter #52, from Moscow, Conclusion

insidethevatican - Nov 18, 2009



Fragments of an Analysis

Leaving Moscow

By Robert Moynihan, reporting from Moscow

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"In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe — and enough shadows to blind those who don't." —Blaise Pascal

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Lights and Shadows

And so it comes to the time of leaving, and of summing up.

Who can sum up Russia? (Photo: St. Basil's Cathedral at the end of Red Square two nights ago.)

I can only offer glimpses, blurry photographs, impressions, fragments of conversations. And yet, these too have their significance.

And from them, one can try to draw conclusions, without pretending that the conclusions are entirely valid, but only that they are possible.

My first thought is: confusion. Not just in Russia, but everywhere.

Russia is not Russia. Or at least, not the Russia I imagined. I imagined "Holy Russia," filled with silent, holy monks and splendid, divine liturgies.
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posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 8:47 AM