The Russian prelate has accepted an invitation to join the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe during its October 1-5 session in Strasbourg, and will address the gathering with a keynote speech on October 2, PACE President Rene van der Linden said.
Speaking at an interfaith conference in Moscow, van der Linden said the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict, was also expected to attend, although the time of the pontiff's visit had yet to be fixed.
Vsevolod Chaplin, a deputy head of the Moscow Patriarchate's exterior relations department, confirmed that Alexy was planning to deliver a speech at the PACE session in early October. But he dismissed reports the 78-year-old patriarch would meet with the pope on the forum's sidelines.
"As far as I am aware...the date for the patriarch's speech, which has already been fixed, and the Pope's presentation [as yet unscheduled] are two separate events, taking place at different times."
Chaplin said reporters and politicians who interpreted the visits incorrectly are just trying to get "cheap publicity."
The Russian patriarch has refused all previous invitations from Pope Benedict and his predecessor, John Paul II, accusing the Vatican of trying to win new converts in post-Soviet countries regarded by the Russian Church as historically Orthodox.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Pope Benedict during a visit to the Vatican in March this year, and pledged help in reconciling the two divided Churches.
