Metropolitan Kirill meets with Romanian Ambassador to Moscow

On 29 November 2005, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, met with Ioan Donka, Romanian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia.

Mutual relations between the peoples of Romania and Russia, both under spiritual care of the Moscow Patriarchate were discussed. Also touched were the questions of interchurch relations.

Metropolitan Kirill underscored the religious factor was especially important in relations between the peoples of the same confession, it contributed to mutual understanding and helped develop cooperation. DECR Chairman expressed hope that existing problems in the relations of the Russian and Romanian Orthodox Churches would be successfully solved in fraternal dialogue.

I.Donka noted positive dynamics in relations between Romania and Russia. Recent visit of the Romanian Foreign Minister R. Ungureanu to Russia and his meeting with His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia was also mentioned. The ambassador said that the recent visit of His Holiness the Patriarch to Kishinev made positive impression on Romanians.

Dragosh Zamfiresky and Valentin Iani, Embassy’s first secretaries, accompanied the Romanian ambassador. Among the DECR MP participant were Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, secretary for Inter-Orthodox Relations and Rev. Georgy Riabykh, DECR MP Chairman’s assistant.