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Grand meeting on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Department for External Church Relations

6.06.2006 · Архив 2005-2009, События  

On 6 June 2006, a grand meeting on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations took place in ‘Danilovskaya’ hotel.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia chaired the jubilee meeting, which was attended by Orthodox archpastors and priests, state figures, including deputy chairman of the Federation Council A.Torshin, deputy chairman of the State Duma L.Sliska, Presidential assistant S.Yastrzhembsky, minister of culture A.Sokolov, deputy minister of foreign affairs G.Karasin, representatives of the non-Orthodox Churches, leaders and representatives of non-Christian religious communities and public organizations and the DECR staff members.

Permanent members of the Holy Synod Metropolitan Vladimir of St.Petersburg and Ladoga, Patriarchal Exarch of Belarus Metropolitan Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad and Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk took part in the meeting.

Also present were Metropolitans Basilios of Elasson and Kyrillos of Thessaliotis and Phanariophersala (Greek Orthodox Church), Metropolitans Feodosy of Omsk and Tara, German of Volgograd and Kamyshin, Job of Chelyabinsk and Zlatoust, Iriney of Dnepropetrovsk and Pavlograd, Valentin of Orenburg and Buzuluk, Sergy of Voronezh and Borisoglebsk, Archbishop Longin of Klin, Nikolai of Izhevsk and Udmurtia, Feofan of Berlin and Germany, Simon of Brussels and Belgium, Panteleimon of Rostov and Novocherkassk, Grigory of Mozhaisk, Lev of Novgorod and Staraya Russia, Paisiy of Orel and Livny, Innokenty of Korsun, Pavel of Ryazan and Kasimov, Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch with the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Bishop Nifon of Philippolis, bishops Guriy of Magadan and Sinegorje, Guriy of Zhitomir and Novograd-Volynsky, Tikhon of Archangelsk and Kholmogory, Merkury of Zaraisk, Feofan of Stavropol and Vladikavkaz, Serafim of Baltiysk, Alexander of Dmitrov, Hilarion of Vienna and Austria, Irinarkh of Perm and Solikamsk, Feodosy of Tambov and Michurinsk, Longin of Saratov and Volsk, DECR deputy chairman Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk, Bishops Zosima of Yakutsk and Lensk and Ignaty of Vyazma.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia opened the jubilee meeting and greeted the audience.

His Holiness awarded the DECR Chairman Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad with the order of St.Alexius of Moscow, 2nd class.

Greeting from His Holiness Patriarch Pavle of Serbia was read out.

Greetings with the jubilee of the eldest Synodal department of the Russian Orthodox Church were received from the first deputy chairman of the Russian government D.Medvedev, head of Presidential administration S.Sobyanin, chairman of the Federation Council S.Mironov, first deputy chairman of the State Duma K.Sliska, minister of foreign affairs S.Lavrov, other representatives of the state power, diocesan bishops, religious leaders, and heads of public movements and organizations.

The former DECR chairmen Metropolitans Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna and Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk, and Metropolitan Sergy of Voronezh and Borisoglebsk addressed the audience at the festive reception. Representatives of public associations and organizations also presented their greetings.

The prorector on educational work of the Moscow Theological Academy hegumen Vassian (Zmeyev) greeted Metropolitan Kirill and all staff members of the Department on behalf of the Moscow Theological schools.