Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad answers the questions of journalists accredited for the 9th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Portu-Alegri

On 15 February, DECR Chairman Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad as an honorable guest attended plenary sessions of the 9^th WCC Assembly held in the Brazilian city of Portu-Alegri. He gave a press conference for the journalists accredited to the Assembly. He spoke on the current developments in the interreligious cooperation in Russia and in the world and pointed out to the preparations for the World Summit of the Religious Leaders, which is to be held in Moscow on 4-5 July 2006. DECR Chairman noted that a number of spiritual leaders had already confirmed their participation in the summit. Speaking on the final documents of the summit, Metropolitan said he did not doubt that the discussed questions would be worked out in detail.

Metropolitan Kirill believes that the main question of the 21^st century is correlation between religious and secular values. DECR Chairman is convinced that religious leaders and the entire modern world can find a way for these values to coexist in spite of all contradictions. Metropolitan Kirill underscored that he was disappointed with numerous interreligious conferences held after terrorist attacks in New York as their declarations were nothing but stock phrases and did not give any practical recommendations.

Metropolitan Kirill met with the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church participating in the WCC Assembly on 15 February.

• Participants in the World Council of Churches to work out a common position on new technologies affecting personal freedom
• Orthodox participants in the WCC Assembly celebrated Divine Liturgy in the Russian parish
• Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad answers the questions of journalists accredited for the 9th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Portu-Alegri
• The 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches begins its work