His Beatitude Ignatios, Patriarch of Great Antioch and All the East, visits Russia at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

HIS BEATITUDE IGNATIOS, PATRIARCH OF GREAT ANTIOCH AND ALL THE EAST, VISITS RUSSIA AT THE INVITATION OF HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA

His Beatitude Ignatios IV, Patriarch of Great Antioch and All the East, arrived in Moscow on January 20. The Primate of the Antiochan Orthodox Church was met at the airport by His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The welcoming party also included Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, Archbishop Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk, a DECR vice-chairman, Archbishop Arseny of Istra and Bishop Alexy of Orekhovo-Zuevo, vicars of the Moscow diocese, Bishop Alexander of Dmitrov and other hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church.

His Beatitude Ignatios was accompanied by Metropolitan Damaskinos of Brazil; Bishop John of Hosn, rector of the St. John Damascus Theological Institute in Balamand; Bishop Moises of Daragia, Patriarchal Auxiliary; Bishop Luke of Sednayi, chancellor of the Patriarchate of Antioch; Mr. Abdallah Tomari, president of the Balamand University; Mr. Adnan Takla, director of the Financial Committee of the Patriarchate of Antioch; Mr. Samer Laham, Patriarchate of Antioch director for external relations and deputy general secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches, and Dr. Joseph Hezim, His Beatitude Ignatios’s brother.

Welcoming His Beatitude Ignatios, His Holiness Alexy said he was delighted to see the great son of Great Antioch coming to the Russian soil. He also told his guest about the changes that took place in the Russian Church in the last years. “After many decades of atheistic persecution our Church by God’s grace is experiencing real regeneration and spiritual uplift”, His Holiness Alexy said.

Speaking in response, His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatios emphasized, “We remember the hard times that the Russian Orthodox Church went through, but her hierarchs were never ashamed of their situation and defended the interests of the Church in the most difficult situations. We admired their faithfulness and we were proud of having such brothers”.

Delegations of the Churches of Russia and Antioch held talks on January 21 at the Synodal residence in St. Daniel’s monastery. The Russian side was represented by Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Archbishop Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk, Archbishop Arseny of Istra, Archimandrite Alexis, father superior of St. Daniel’s monastery, Archimandrite Alexander (Yelisov), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia at the Patriarchate of Antioch, and Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, secretary for inter-Orthodox relations, Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Relations.

The Atiochan delegation was accompanied by Bishop Nifon of Philipopolis, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch at the Patriarchate of Moscow.

Before the talks, His Holiness Alexy decorated His Beatitude Ignatios with the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called in acknowledgement of Patriarch Ignatios’s contribution to the promotion of unity, brotherhood and cooperation between the Patriarchates of Moscow and Antioch.

His Holiness Alexy II thanked the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Antioch for his attention to problems involved in the pastoral care of our compatriots in the Middle East and his invariably well-wishing attitude to the staff of the Russian Orthodox Church Representation in Damascus and to the Russian parish in Beirut. He also noted that the traditional bonds of love that existed between the Orthodox Churches of Antioch and Russia for centuries remained as solid as ever. During the talks the need was also noted for common efforts to be made by Local Churches with regard to schismatics.

The delegations also discussed the problem of the so-called diaspora, that is, the regulation of church life for the Orthodox living outside the jurisdictions of their respective Local Churches. They shared the opinion that in the absence of a common Orthodox understanding of this problem at present it is inadmissible that one of the existing points of view should be imposed on all as a common Orthodox view.

His Beatitude Ignatios stressed the importance of joint discussion in the spirit of brotherhood and desire to come to a common understanding of problems facing Local Churches.

In the discussion on inter-Christian relations the problem of relations with the Roman Catholic Church was touched upon. The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Antioch reaffirmed the attitude he expressed earlier concerning the establishment of a Catholic “church province” and the elevation of the status of administrative structures of the Catholic Church in Russia.

His Beatitude Ignatios also raised the question of resuming cooperation between the theological schools of the Orthodox Churches of Russia and Antioch. In the past years, many clergy of the Patriarchate of Antioch studied at the Moscow Theological Schools and other educational institutions of the Russian Church. His Holiness, on his part, expressed readiness to liven up cooperation between the theological schools of the two Churches.

The discussion on the situation in the Middle East was held in an atmosphere of perfect mutual understanding. Special attention was given to the situation around Iraq. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church expressed profound concern for the threat of military actions in this region, which, as the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia has shown, will inevitably lead to the death of numerous civilians. The consequences of a power action may prove disastrous for many states in the region and for the balance of forces existing in the world.

His Beatitude Ignatios expressed the conviction that an unjust war cannot be moral, saying “One who begins killing forgets about morality. War is evil in any place and in any time”.

In the course of the talks, the sides expressed serious concern for the repeated facts of defilement of Christian, Jewish and Muslim shrines in the Holy Land. “Outrage against places of worship can provoke enmity and thirst for revenge”, His Holiness Alexis noted. His Beatitude Ignatios in his turn underlined the importance of dialogue between people of different faiths and cultures.

After the talk a grand reception was given on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church in honour of His Beatitude Ignatios, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy addressed himself to the Primate of the Antiochan Church with a speech of greetings.

In the evening, His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatios was presented with the Prize “For Outstanding Work for Strengthening the Unity of Orthodox Nations” at a solemn ceremony which took place in the Church Councils Hall in the Church of Christ the Savior.

On January 22, the Commemoration Day of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, His Beatitude Ignatios and His Holiness Alexy celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin. Among their concelebrants were Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch for All Belarus; Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad; Metropolitan Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archbishop Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk; Archbishops Arseny of Istra and Dimitry of Tobolsk and Tyumen, Bishops Feofan of Magadan and Sinegorye, Alexander of Dmitrov and Feognost of Sergiyev Posad, as well as Metropolitan Damaskinos of Brazil and Bishops John of Hosn, Moises of Daragia and Luke of Sednayi.

After the service, the two Primates exchanged speeches of greetings. “We wholeheartedly welcome you and the hierarchs, clergy and lay people of the Antiochan Church who accompany you to this Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin. In the past, during your many visits to our Church, you came to this cathedral, which was still a museum, and it was difficult to image that divine services would ever be resumed in these sacred walls. By God’s grace the situation has changed. For already twelve years now, divine services have been conducted here and hundreds of people have come here to lift up prayers to the Moscow saints whose honorable relics repose in the Cathedral of the Dormition”.

His Holiness Alexy presented the high guest with an Icon of Our Lady of Kazan for prayerful memory.

Speaking in response His Beatitude Ignatios said, “In the past years I visited this holy church several times. I came here as a stranger, since I knew that the guardians of the museum were displeased with the presence of a man in holy orders in these walls. However, we say to people: It is not a building but you yourselves who are the Church, the Body of Christ! Our Lord Jesus Christ, building His Church, builds first of all the people of God, and only many years later magnificent churches and cathedrals were built.

“Today as we conducted the divine service at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Moscow Kremlin, we remembered the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Who said about His Church that ‘the power of death shall not prevail against it’. The Orthodox Church is one. Orthodoxy is a religion of love. For ‘God is Love’ (1 Jn. 4:8). For every one of us the Lord has prepared his own path, every one carries his own cross. We differ from one another in our obediences, but we are one before the Face of the Lord and one in His Church. Therefore, we ask the Lord God especially ardently that He may give spiritual and physical strength to those who stand before Him responsible for those parts of One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church which are nourished by Local Churches. We pray to the Lord God that He may send the Orthodox Primates His speedy and all-gracious help in their tremendous responsibility, which is presiding for the people of God”.

After that a fraternal repast took place. Having thanked His Beatitude Ignatios for the joint celebration of the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness Alexy said, “Care for the flock living in diaspora is a serious concern for both the Holy Church of Antioch and the Moscow Patriarchate. Many people in the countries in the spiritual care of our Churches have left them temporarily or for good. Nevertheless, they wish to preserve spiritual bonds with the Mother Church. Therefore we have to take spiritual care of believers in many countries”.

Responding to the speech of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Ignatios re-affirmed the concern of the Patriarchate of Antioch for the problem of diaspora. He said, “It is quite natural that people who left their countries should wish to preserve their link with the Motherland and the Mother Church. It is impossible to erase all the differences conditioned by the peculiarities of traditions and cultures. The fact however that every nation has its own spiritual values does not prevent cooperation and unity. We believe it is right that all Christians should cherish the legacy they received from their fathers”.

Later that day the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Antioch together with His Holiness Patriarch Alexy attended the solemn opening of the Orthodox Russia exhibition at Gostiny Dvor.

On the same day the two Primates were received in the Kremlin by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In the evening of January 22, at the reception given by the Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Kirill, in honour of His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatios, Metropolitan Kirill noted that the visit of the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Antioch was a historic event. The Russian Orthodox Church, he said, has maintained friendly relations with the Patriarchate of Antioch for many centuries. “We know Your Beatitude as an distinguished hierarch who has made an outstanding contribution to the witness to Orthodoxy. Not in words but in deeds you work every day to assert Orthodox unity. Your primatial ministry has raised the Patriarchate of Antioch even to a higher level to play now an ever more important role in the life of Universal Orthodoxy.

“You know and love both the Middle East and Russia and the Slavic world. You have promoted closer contacts between Churches. Orthodoxy in the 21st century should be truly united, and we hope that the wisdom of Your Beatitude will help us to achieve this great goal”, he said.

See also:

His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia