"Archbishop Antonio Mennini will stay the representative of the Holy See in Russia. His new appointment is auxiliary," Giovanna Parravicini, the Vatican cultural attache, said to Interfax-Religion Wednesday.

She also added that the Archbishop’s residence would be in Moscow, as before.

Earlier, several mass media sources reported that Mennini terminated his work in Moscow.

Mennini was appointed head of the Vatican’s diplomatic mission in Moscow by Pope John Paul II on November 2002. During his service in Russia Archbishop Mennini has invariably demonstrated the importance of the Catholics’ respectful attitude to the Orthodox tradition.