Russian conservatives have even resurrected czarist rhetoric of Moscow as a “third Rome,” a center for imperial Christianity (the second being Constantinople).

For the Roman Catholic Church, tighter ties with Moscow are an opportunity to reestablish a stronger presence after a century marked by the rise and fall of communism and enforced atheism. Officially, freedom of religion is enshrined in the Russian constitution, but that hasn’t stopped the government from making things difficult for religions other than the Orthodox Church. At the start of the new century, tensions rose and a few priests and bishops were kicked out of the country after being accused of proselytism by the Orthodox Church. Full diplomatic relations between Moscow and the Vatican were only restored in 2009.

While some media pundits speculate that Vatican Secretary of State Parolin’s trip could pave the way for the first ever visit of a Catholic pope to Moscow, most analysts believe Orthodox opposition makes that eventuality remote.