(ANSA) - Moscow, February 12 - The Kremlin on Tuesday
expressed its ''appreciation for the personal contribution made
by Pope Benedict XVI to inter-religious dialogue'' in its first
official reaction to Monday's announcement that the pontiff
would be stepping down from office at the end of the month.
President Vladimir Putin's diplomatic spokesman Iuri
Ushakov also acknowledged Benedict's participation in the
''active promotion of Christian values throughout the world''
and said he hoped the Vatican might continue to pursue this line
in future.
''Relations between Russia and the Vatican have developed
very positively since he became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005,''
said Ushakov, highlighting the establishment of full diplomatic
relations between the two States in 2009.
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