After praying the noonday Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square Dec. 7, the Pope said, “We unite ourselves in prayer with our Orthodox brothers and sisters in order to commend his soul to the goodness of the Lord, so that He may welcome him into His kingdom of light and peace.”

Patriarch Alexy led the world’s largest Orthodox church since 1990. As primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, the patriarch was the spiritual leader of more than 110 million church members in Russia, the former Soviet republics and the diaspora.

He led the church through the difficult transition from the end of Soviet repression to an era of religious freedom and sought to revitalize traditional religious values in a society that was still grappling with the aftereffects of totalitarianism and the impact of newfound freedoms.

Pope Benedict praised the patriarch’s efforts “for the rebirth of the church after the severe ideological oppression which led to the martyrdom of so many witnesses to the Christian faith.” In a written message sent to the synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Dec. 5, the Pope offered his “most sincere condolences” and said he “was profoundly saddened” to receive news of the patriarch’s death.

He recalled Patriarch Alexy’s “courageous battle for the defense of human and Gospel values,” especially in Europe. In his message, the Pope said he prayed the patriarch’s hard work would “bear fruit in peace and genuine progress — human, social and spiritual.”

Kasper, the Vatican’s top ecumenist, expressed his “profound sadness” at the patriarch’s death and prayed that he would “be rewarded for his long and dedicated ministry to the church he loved.”

Though still strained, Russian Orthodox relations with the Catholic Church have improved under Pope Benedict. After recent meetings this year with Russian Orthodox leaders, Kasper said historical tensions had been replaced by an eagerness to co-operate.

Born in Estonia in 1929 to a family of Russian emigrants, Patriarch Alexy was enthroned as patriarch in 1990, just a year after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He said his church had to work to help the people overcome bitterness left by years of repression.

“Too serious is the disease caused by the virus of totalitarianism, which has contaminated human souls with hatred, spite and intolerance,” the Russian Orthodox patriarch said in a talk at Georgetown University in Washington in 1991.

He said Russia would never enjoy a life of prosperity and peace if the church, “as the spiritual healer,” did not help people recover from this disease.

When the Soviet parliament granted religious freedom in the country for the first time since the Communist Party took power 70 years ago, the patriarch took a leading role in revitalizing the country’s pastoral life.

He said the church needed help so it could reopen churches and monasteries, provide religious education, offer charity and carry out many other activities. Even though he appealed for outside aid, he accused other religious groups, including the Catholic Church, of ignoring Orthodox needs and proselytizing.