Conference on ‘Orthodox Pilgrimage: Traditions and Modern Times’ opens in Moscow

On 28 November 2005, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad chaired the opening meeting of the 2nd Church Conference on ‘Orthodox Pilgrimage: Traditions and Modern Times’.

Over 150 participants took part in the conference. Among them: Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, DECR MP Deputy Chairman Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk, Bishop Zosima of Yakutsk and Lensk, representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches, diplomatic corps, envoys from 46 Dioceses of the Moscow Patriarchate in Russia, Orthodox participants from Ukraine and Moldova, representatives of legislative and executive authorities on federal and regional levels, staff members of the Synodal departments of the Russian Orthodox Church, theological schools, fathers superior, heads of pilgrims centers from different regions of Russia and tourist organizations.

Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk read out the address of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church to the organizers and participants of the conference.

Secretary of the Department for Pilgrimage at the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church Archimandrite Spyridon (Katramados) read out the greeting word of the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church His Beatitude Archbishop Christodoulos.

Also read our were the greeting addresses from the Chairman of the State Duma Committee for public associations and religious organizations, president of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy A. Popov and chairman of the State Duma Committee for economic policy, business and tourism V. Draganov.

Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad delivered a keynote report on ‘Pilgrimage: Situation at Present and Ways of Development’.

Greek Deputy Minister for Tourism Anastasios Liaskos presented a report on the ‘Development of Regional Tourism in Greece’.

Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk spoke on the ‘Pilgrimage in Mass Media’.

A.Nazarenko, chairman of the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member of the Orthodox Palestinian Society delivered a report on the ‘Phenomena of Pilgrimage: Thoughts of a Historian’.

The conference is to finish its work on 29 November 2005.

• The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church sends a message to the 2nd All-Church Conference on Orthodox Pilgrimage: The Past and the Present
  (28-29 November 2005, Moscow)
• Conference on ‘Orthodox Pilgrimage: Traditions and Modern Times’ opens in Moscow