| Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates Divine Liturgy at Russian Embassy in the capital of Jamaica On 22 May 2011, the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman and the commemoration day of the translation of the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra in Lycia, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR) celebrated Divine Liturgy at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Jamaica. In compliance with the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of 26 July 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion leads the Moscow Patriarchate’s delegation at the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation. Celebrating together with Metropolitan Hilarion were archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, secretary of the DECR of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Rev. Dimitry Sizonenko, acting DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations; hierodeacon Ioann (Kopeikin), assistant to the DECR MP chairman. Praying at the service was archpriest Mikhail Gundyayev, representative of the Moscow Patriarchate at the World Council of Churches and international institutions in Geneva; Hymns of the liturgy were sung in Znamenny chant by Leonid Sevastianov, executive director of the St. Gregory the Theologian Charity Foundations. Some thirty people attended Divine Liturgy at the Russian Embassy, including Mr. V. Zotin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Jamaica; diplomats, staff of the Embassy with their families, and representatives of the RUSAL United Company currently operating in Jamaica. All of them received Holy Communion. After the liturgy, Metropolitan Hilarion reminded those present that the Orthodox Church commemorates St. Nicholas and congratulated those whose name-day it is on receiving Holy Communion, including archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, and wished him to worthily represent the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at various international forums in future. In his sermon the DECR chairman spoke of a special responsibility of those working far away from homeland. Their work, of the diplomats in particular, as well as military men and ministers of the church, is not just a work, but a real ministry. |
| Photo: mospat.ru On March 25, 2019, Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR), met in Moscow with President of Lebanon Michel Aoun. The high guest was accompanied by Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil, Ms. Mireille Aoun, special adviser to the president, Mr. Rafik Chlala, presidential media adviser; and other officials. Taking part in the talk was also Metropolitan Niphon of Philippople, representative of the Patriarch of Great Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. From the DECR there were Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), DECR vice-chairman, Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, DECR secretary for the far abroad; and Deacon Andrey Titushkin, DECR secretariat for the far abroad. ‘It is a long-expected visit’, Metropolitan Hilarion said addressing the head of the Republic of Lebanon, who has come to Russia for an official visit. The metropolitan stated that Mr. Aoun is the only president in the Middle East and through the Arab world, who confesses Christianity. His Eminence noted that he had a joyful occasion to meet with the president of Lebanon repeatedly during his visits to that country. Metropolitan Hilarion greeted Michelle Aoun on behalf of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, noting that ‘His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was unable to meet with you personally but asked me to convey to you his best regards and wishes’. The sides discussed the situation of Christians in the Middle East. Metropolitan Hilarion spoke in detail about the efforts of the Russian Church to defend Christians in the Middle East, also using international platforms. These problems are discussed at meetings of the Supreme Church Authority with state leaders, high representatives of international organizations and religious leaders. Pointing out that the Republic of Lebanon is the only country in the Middle East to fix the rights of Christians in its Constitution, the DECR chairman expressed hope that joint peacemaking efforts of the Russian Orthodox Church and Christians in Lebanon will help preserve and strengthen Christian presence throughout the Middle East. |
| Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) Relieved From the Post of the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations The hierarch was appointed the head of the Budapest-Hungarian diocese. Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) has been relieved of his duties as Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and has been appointed Head of the Budapest-Hungarian Diocese. This decision was made by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church during their meeting, which took place at the Patriarchal and Synodal residence in the Danilov Monastery in Moscow on June 7, 2022. After discussing the issue of governing the Budapest-Hungarian diocese, the Synod released Metropolitan Mark of Budapest and Hungary from the administration of the diocese with gratitude for the work he had done. “His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk, to be appointed as Administrator of the Budapest-Hungarian Diocese, Metropolitan of Budapest and Hungary, with his release from the duties of Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Permanent Member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church and Rector of the General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Equal-to-the-Apostles Saints Cyril and Methodius”, the Synod decided . Metropolitan Anthony of Korsun has been appointed Chairman of the DECR and Permanent Member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, with the title Metropolitan of Volokolamsk. The hierarch was released from the management of the Korsun diocese, he temporarily retained the management of the Exarchate of Western Europe and the position of Head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Office for Institutions Abroad. The temporary administration of the Korsun diocese was entrusted to Archbishop Nestor of Madrid and Lisbon. Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, Chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, was appointed Rector of the General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius, retaining his previous positions. |
| Metropolitan Hilarion Visit the Patriarch of Jerusalem Pravmir.com team 21 February 2022 Photo: mospat.ru On February 20, 2022, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine received the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, in the Jerusalem Patriarchate. The DECR Chairman conveyed to the Primate of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church the heartfelt congratulations of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on the occasion of the upcoming 70th birthday and presented him with a congratulatory message, as well as a set of panagias. Metropolitan Hilarion thanked His Beatitude for the opportunity to serve in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher the day before. During the conversation, which took place in a warm and trusting atmosphere, various issues of mutual interest were touched upon. In particular, the position of Christians in the Holy Land and in the Middle East in general was discussed. For his part, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus conveyed to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill his best wishes and presented his gift, the icon of the Nativity of Christ. The conversation continued over dinner. Among the participants in the meeting were Metropolitan Hesychius of Capitoliad, Secretary General of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, Archbishop Aristarch of Constantine, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, Deputy Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, Hieromonk Dometian (Markaryan), and Archdeacon Mark Henderson. Photo credit: Jerusalem Patriarchate You can f ollow Pravmir.com on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , or Telegram . Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Metropolitan Hilarion Visit the Patriarch of Jerusalem Pravmir.com team On February 20, 2022, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine received the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, in the Jerusalem Patriarchate. The DECR Chairman ... |
| 7th Meeting of Russian-Chinese Working Group for Contacts and Cooperation in Religious Sphere Source: DECR Photo: mospat.ru On May 29, 2019, the Russian-Chinese working group for contacts and cooperation in religious sphere held its 7 th meeting at the Department for External Church Relations (DECR) of the Moscow Patriarchate. The previous meeting took place on March 22, 2018, in Beijing. The bilateral meeting was attended by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the DECR; Mr. V. Nazarenko, deputy head of the Russian Presidential Directorate for Foreign Policy; S. Melnikov, executive secretary of the Presidential Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations; Rushan khazrat Abbyasov, first vice-chairman of the Council of Muftis in Russia; Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman; V. Yegorov, head of the UNESCO chair, Presidential Academy of Public Service; A. Shmanevsky, deputy director of the MFA First Department for Asia; D. Petrovsky, DECR; Ildar khazrat Galeyev, head of the Council of Muftis international department; and G. Zhigarkov, second secretary of the MFA First Department for Asia. The delegation of the Chinese People’s Republic state directorate for religious affairs was led by Mr. Wu Guosheng. It included representatives of national religious associations including Ze Wu, deputy chairman of the Chinese Buddhists Association; Meng Zhiling, deputy chairman of the Chinese Taoist Association; and Cong Enlin, deputy chairman of the Chinese Islamic Association. The participants exchanged opinions on a wide range of issues concerning cooperation and pointed to the importance of interaction of traditional religions in Russia and China. In November 2009, a delegation of the Russian Presidential Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations, with the participation of representatives of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, visited China at the invitation of the State Directorate for Religious Affairs. Negotiations were held on the development Russian-Chinese cooperation in religious sphere in accordance with the Action Plan for Implementing the Provisions of the Agreement on Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Chinese People’s Republic for 2009-2012, approved by the heads of the two states. |
| Accept The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk meets with Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II DECR Communication Service, 07.11.2022. On November 7, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relation of the Moscow Patriarchate, visited the residence of the Coptic Patriarchs to meet with the Primate of the Coptic Church, His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros II. Metropolitan Anthony conveyed to His Holiness Tawadros II greetings and best wishes from His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, noting that for him as chairman of the Department for External Church Relations it was an honour and joy to arrive with His Holiness’s blessing to Cairo in the days when the First Hierarch of the Coptic Church celebrated his 70 th birthday and the 10 th anniversary of his election to the Patriarchal See. In honour of these dates and consideration of the outstanding contribution made by His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros to the development of relations between the Coptic Church and the Moscow Patriarch and on the instruction of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the DECR chairman presented to the Primate of the Coptic Church one of the highest awards of the Russian Orthodox Church - the Order of Glory and Honour, Degree I. His Eminence thanked His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros for the warm welcome given to the delegation of nuns from Russia who recently came on a visit to Egypt led by Bishop Leontiy of Syzran and Shygony and for the assistance given by the Coptic Church to the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Cairo and other cities in Egypt. The Primate of the Coptic Church asked His Eminence to convey to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill his cordial gratitude for the high award and attention. His Holiness congratulated Metropolitan Anthony on his appointment as chairman of the DECR and pointed to the existence of considerable potential for further strengthening friendly and confidential relations between the two Churches. His Holiness recalled with warmth his visits to Russia in 2014 and 2017, his brotherly contacts with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and his meetings in Cairo with the Moscow Patriarchate’s delegations, which became a good tradition already long ago. |
| On 24 September 2017, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, began his working visit to Rome. Photo: http://mospat.ru Meeting Metropolitan Hilarion at the airport in Rome were Bishop Matfei of Bogorodsk, administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate’s parishes in Italy; Mr. Alexander Avdeyev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Vatican; and Rev. Hyacinthe Destivelle, a staff member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. On September 25, at the Vatican, the DECR chairman met with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Metropolitan Hilarion congratulated Pope Benedict on his 90 th birthday and conveyed to him warm greetings and wishes from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. During the meeting, the DECR chairman told the Pontiff Emeritus about the meeting between Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis that took place in Havana on 12 February 2016, as well as about various aspects of cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. In reply to Pope Benedict’s question about the revival of faith in the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion told him about the construction of new churches and monasteries, the establishment of theological faculties in secular universities, and the Church’s publishing and educational activities. Metropolitan Hilarion presented Pope Benedict XVI with the Russian edition of the Pontiff Emeritus’ book entitled “The Theology of Liturgy,” prepared by the Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate in cooperation with the St. Gregory the Theologian Charity Foundation. Pope Emeritus warmly thanked the DECR chairman for the gift and expressed his wish that the Orthodox Christians in Russia might find his book in its Russian translation helpful for the better understanding of the Liturgy. As a birthday present, Metropolitan Hilarion granted to Pope Benedict XVI six volumes of his book “Jesus Christ. Life and Teaching.” |
| Metropolitan Hilarion meets with Pope Emeritus Benedicts XVI and Russia’s Ambassador to Vatican Source: DECR On October 6, 2014, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations visited Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at his residence in the Vatican. Photo: mospat.ru The DECR chairman is in Rome for the Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Catholic Bishops, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The DECR chairman conveyed to the honorary pontiff best regards from Patriarch Kirill. During their talk, in which Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, participated, they touched upon a number of topics including the Orthodox-Catholic theological dialogue, as well as the situation in Ukraine. Metropolitan Hilarion shared his impressions of the participation in the work of the Synod of Bishops devoted to the family and pointed to the timeliness of comprehensive discussion on problems involved in the institution of the family and the need to protect traditional family values. On his part, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI shared his remembrances of meetings with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia when he was Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad and DECR chairman. He conveyed to Patriarch Kirill best wishes of good health and underlined that he prayed everyday for peace in the Ukrainian land. As a token of the meeting, Metropolitan Hilarion presented the honorary pontiff with a bust of one of his predecessors, Pope Benedict XV, executed by Russian sculptor A. Burganov. It was this pope who Patriarch Tikhon addressed with a letter written in Latin during the severe famine in 1921. On the same day, Metropolitan Hilarion met with Russia’s Ambassador to the Vatican, A. Avdeyev. During a long talk, they exchanged opinions on a broad range of issues of mutual concern. They were joined by Archimandrite Antony (Sevryuk), secretary of the administration of the Moscow Patriarchate parishes in Italy. |
| Metropolitan Anthony Addresses Final Session of the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions Source: DECR Photo: mospat.ru The 7 th Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions concluded its work in Nur-Sultan on September 15. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan led the closing ceremony; Maulen Ashimbayev, chair of the Senate of the Parliament and head of the Congress secretariat acted as moderator. The Final Declaration of the Congress was read out. Addressing the participants were highly respected representatives of religious communities, including Pope Francis; Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR); Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of al-Azhar University; and Yitzhak Yosef, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel. They shared their opinion on the Declaration and named the main outcome of the Congress attending which were over one hundred delegations from different countries. The Moscow Patriarchate was represented also by Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus; Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, head of the Kazakhstan metropolitan district; Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan; Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), DECR deputy chairman; and Rev. Dimitry Safonov, DECR secretary for interreligious relations. Metropolitan Anthony underscored in his address that the faithful are called “to hold an active position, help peace building, participate in the settlement of conflicts, and preach the values of compassion, accord, and love.” Besides, the hierarch reminded religious leaders of the necessity to be firm in their witness about the value of human life, saying that this witness would be more convincing if brought together. DECR chairman pointed out that the final document of the Congress “is based on the recognition of the fact of creation of human beings and all things by God, of Divine Providence and God-given laws of life and rules of morality.” He expressed appreciation of some items of the Declaration pertaining to the role of religious leaders in overcoming pernicious effects of certain developments, in preserving cultural and religious diversity, in developing religious education as an instrument for preventing extremism, and in surmounting injustice and inequality among countries and peoples. |
| Archive Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk meets with Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II 8 November 2022 year 10:50 On November 7, 2022, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relation of the Moscow Patriarchate, visited the residence of the Coptic Patriarchs to meet with the Primate of the Coptic Church, His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros II. Metropolitan Anthony conveyed to His Holiness Tawadros II greetings and best wishes from His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, noting that for him as chairman of the Department for External Church Relations it was an honour and joy to arrive with His Holiness’s blessing to Cairo in the days when the First Hierarch of the Coptic Church celebrated his 70th birthday and the 10th anniversary of his election to the Patriarchal See. In honour of these dates and consideration of the outstanding contribution made by His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros to the development of relations between the Coptic Church and the Moscow Patriarch and on the instruction of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the DECR chairman presented to the Primate of the Coptic Church one of the highest awards of the Russian Orthodox Church - the Order of Glory and Honour, Degree I. His Eminence thanked His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros for the warm welcome given to the delegation of nuns from Russia who recently came on a visit to Egypt led by Bishop Leontiy of Syzran and Shygony and for the assistance given by the Coptic Church to the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Cairo and other cities in Egypt. The Primate of the Coptic Church asked His Eminence to convey to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill his cordial gratitude for the high award and attention. His Holiness congratulated Metropolitan Anthony on his appointment as chairman of the DECR and pointed to the existence of considerable potential for further strengthening friendly and confidential relations between the two Churches. His Holiness recalled with warmth his visits to Russia in 2014 and 2017, his brotherly contacts with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and his meetings in Cairo with the Moscow Patriarchate’s delegations, which became a good tradition already long ago. |
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