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Russian Orthodox Church Condemns 'Virtual Visit' by Pope VOA News 3 Mar 2002 00:05 UTC 
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Aleksy, has condemned a live video link-up between Pope John Paul II and Roman Catholics in Russia.
Hundreds of worshippers gathered Saturday evening in a Moscow cathedral to attend the television bridge.
The pope has made reconciliation with the Orthodox branch of Christianity a priority, and expressed his desire to visit Russia and the country's estimated 600,000 Catholics.
But the Russian Orthodox Patriarch has rejected his overtures, and called Saturday's electronic link-up "an invasion of Russia".
The Pope led prayers for young Catholics in six countries, all linked to the Vatican by video or audio.
Some information for this report provided by AP.
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