The Rev.Dr.Konrad Raiser, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, on a visit to the Russian Orthodox Church 

THE REV.DR.KONRAD RAISER, GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES, ON A VISIT TO THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

A delegation of the World Council of Churches headed by the Rev.Dr.Konrad Raiser, WCC General Secretary, visited the Russian Orthodox Church from January 30 to February 5, 1998. The delegation included Archbishop Jeremiasz of Wroclaw and Szczecin (Polish Orthodox Church), Bishop Henrik Svenungsson (Church of Sweden), Professor Nicholas V.Lossky (Russian Orthodox Church, Paris), Mr.Georges Lemopoulos (WCC, Ecumenical Patriarchate), and Mr.Alexander Belopopsky (WCC, Ecumenical Patriarchate).

On January 31, the WCC General Secretary Dr.Konrad Raiser and members of the delegation visited the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate where they met with its Chairman Metropolitan Kirill and with staff members of the DECR. Discussed were many aspects of the relationships between the Russian Orthodox Church and the World Council of Churches. It was noted during the discussion that the prospects and level of the participation of the Russian Orthodox Church in the work of the World Council of Churches largely depends on the willingness of the Council to change its structure and the form of representation.
Metropolitan Kirill put forward a proposal to radically change the structure of the World Council of Churches. As an alternative to the present system of membership in the WCC of individual churches he proposed a principle of the so-called ‘confessional families’: Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical. In this case the World Council of Churches would become a forum at which representatives of the four major world Christian families could meet.

On Sunday, February 1, the delegation of the World Council of Churches attended the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Moscow Kremlin celebrated by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia. After the Divine service the delegation was received by His Holiness the Patriarch. During the talk, participating in which were also permanent members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, discussed were the problems of participation of the Russian Orthodox Church in the work of the World Council of Churches as well as the prospects of their relationship in future.

On February 3, the WCC delegation visited the Moscow Theological Academy and participated in the session of the Synodal Theological Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church discussed at which were theological aspects of the participation of the Orthodox Churches in the work of the World Council of Churches.

The WCC General secretary and members of the delegation visited the Synodal Departments of the Russian Orthodox Church for Church Charity and Social Ministry and for Religious Education and Catechisation. During the visit, Dr.Raiser and members of the delegation met with the students of St.Tikhon’s Theological Institute and of the Moscow Theological Academy- At the request of Dr.Raiser, the delegation also met with the Orthodox youth of Moscow in the Church of St.Catherine the Great in the Fields.

A press conference of the WCC General Secretary Dr.Raiser and members of the delegation was held at the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate on the results of the visit.