Crossing the Bridge

About the Book

We follow Niki, a deacon of the Orthodox church in Moscow, as he becomes the messenger between the Vatican and the patriarch, as the two great branches of the church begin a search for reconciliation. The powers of the Kremlin resist such a new alliance and work to derail the process. But the reforming pope presses on and meets disaster. Niki has to leave Russia and follows his new lover to Britain, to marriage and academic life. A surprising archaeological discovery in Italy brings the heads of the churches together. The story takes us to Rome, Moscow, Geneva, Milan, the Crimea, and York and brings us reflections on church politics, the ecumenical movement, and how costly it is to cross the bridges between communities.

About the Author

Bernard Thorogood, born and educated in Britain, has served as a minister in the South Pacific and in London and, since retirement, has lived in Sydney, a member of the Uniting Church in Australia. For twenty years, he was much involved in the ecumenical movement. He has written a number of books on theology, a memoir, “A Minister’s Minutes,” and a previous novel set in the South Pacific, “Reef Passage.” He was awarded OBE and a DD in 1992.