Russian Church Outside Russia secretary for negotiations with Moscow Patriarchate visits Moscow

Archpriest Alexander Lebedev, Russian Church Outside Russia secretary for negotiations with the Moscow Patriarchate, came to Moscow in the days when the anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Alexy of Moscow and All Russia was celebrated.

On June 8, 2006, Father Alexander worshipped during the patriarchal liturgy at the Church of Christ and Saviour and, during the common meal after the service, brought greetings to His Holiness from Metropolitan Laurus, chairman of the Bishops’ Synod of the Russian Church Outside Russia.

On June 9, Patriarch Alexy received Archpriest Alexander in audience. Father Alexander informed His Holiness about the work of the 4^th All-Diaspora Council and the Bishops’ Synod of the Russian Church Outside Russia, which took place last month in San Francisco, and the decisions made by these councils concerning the restoration of canonical unity between the Russian Church Outside Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate.

On the same day, Archpriest Alexander was received by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, head of the Department for External Church Relations. They discussed further steps to be taken on the way to church unity. They were joined in their talk by Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, Moscow Patriarchate secretary for dialogue with the Russian Church Outside Russia and DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations.

Earlier, on June 5, the two secretaries had a working meeting to negotiate further plans of their commissions.

It is expected that the 7^th joint meeting of the two Church’s commissions for dialogue will take later in June.

• Commissions of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Church Outside of Russia complete their seventh working meeting
• The seventh working meeting between the Moscow Patriarchate Commission on Dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the ROCOR Commission on discussion with the Moscow Patriarchate
• Russian Church Outside Russia secretary for negotiations with Moscow Patriarchate visits Moscow
• The clergy of the Russian Church Outside Russia in the USA supports the policy towards unity with the Moscow Patriarchate
• 6th working meeting of the Commissions of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
• Delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia visits Ukraine
• Bishop Gabriel of Manhattan: ‘We shall overcome divisions and become one Church when God wills’