Pope, Orthodox leader to work for Middle East peace

VATICAN CITY, June 16 (Reuters) - Pope Benedict and the leader of the Cypriot Orthodox Church pledged today to work for peace in the West Asia, saying they feared a widening crisis with ''disastrous consequences.'' In a joint declaration following a visit to the Vatican by Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus, the two leaders also said they would ''intensify the quest for full unity among all Christians.'' Chrysostomos II said earlier this week he would be willing to mediate to try and arrange a meeting between the Pope and the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow, Alexiy II, which would be the first meeting between a Pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch.

Relations between the Vatican and the Russian Church, the most important in worldwide Orthodoxy, have been particularly strained since the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The two men said they had considered the ''tensions and divisions'' of Cyprus and the conflict in the Middle East, ''where war and conflict among peoples risk widening with disastrous consequences''.

''Our Churches intend to play a role of pacification, justice and solidarity'' in the Middle East, they said. ''It is our desire to promote ... a sincere dialogue among the diverse religions present and operating in the region.'' Pope Benedict told Chrysostomos at a ceremony after their meeting that his visit was a ''very useful initiative to make us progress toward the unity desired by Christ''.

The Western and Eastern branches of Christianity have been split since the Great Schism of 1054.

Despite ''centuries old divisions, diverging roads and ...

the hard work of closing painful wounds, the Lord has never ceased to guide our steps on the path toward unity and reconciliation,'' the Pope said.

The two men also called for greater respect for the environment and expressed ''serious concern'' about bioethical issues, saying that certain genetic techniques could end up ''damaging the dignity of man''.

Reuters GT RN2029