Metropolitan Kirill on a visit to Mongolia

METROPOLITAN KIRILL ON A VISIT TO MONGOLIA

Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, was on a visit to Mongolia from July 7 to 10, 2001.

On July 7, Metropolitan Kirill was met at Buyant-Uhaa airport by Russian Ambassador O. Derkovsky, the rector and members of the parish of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ulan Bator and representatives of joint Russian-Mongolian enterprises.

The Chief of the Presidential Staff, Sanju Bayar, gave a luncheon in honour of Metropolitan Kirill and the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Later that day, Metropolitan Kirill visited the Museum of History, and in the evening, officiated at All-Night Vigil in the church of the Holy Trinity.

After the liturgy on July 8, he blessed the foundation stone of an Orthodox church to be built in Ulan Bator. Present at the ceremony were Mr. Bayar, foreign minister deputy S. Batbold, Mr. Derkovsky, leaders of joint Russian-Mongolian enterprises and Russian citizens working in Mongolia.

After a luncheon at the Heraldic Hall of the Russian Embassy, Metropolitan Kirill visited the representation of the Zarubezhtsvet corporation in Ulan Bator and had a meeting there with Mr. Batbold.

On July 9, Metropolitan Kirill visited the city of Erdent and met there with the Governor Dauletbay. He also made a tour of the Ore Mining And Processing Enterprise and talked to a team of Russian specialists working there. Then he visited the Russian General Consulate in Erdenet and met with the General Consul Yu. Chigvintsev.

On July 10, back in Ulan Bator, Metropolitan Kirill met with the leaders of the Mongolian Buddhists, Khambo-Lama Choi Jams, and vice-Khambo-lama E. Amgalan. He was shown the religious center of the Mongolian Buddhists and the Gandan Tegchilen monastery. Later that day he met with the Mongolian President Natsagijn Bagabandi. In the evening, he left for Moscow.

Commenting the results of his visit to Mongolia to RIA Novosti news agency, Metropolitan Kirill said that the construction of an Orthodox church for the Russians who live or reside in Mongolia had a special importance. According to him, a Russian Orthodox mission appeared in Mongolia as far back as the mid-19th century, and there were four Orthodox churches there till 1929. With the beginning of anti-religious persecution in the 30s, he continued, both Buddhism and Orthodoxy suffered. The churches were closed and destroyed. It was only 60 years later, in November 1996, that an Orthodox parish was restored in Ulan Bator. “I hope”, he said, “that through the efforts of Russians the church will soon be built to become, I believe, a very important link in the system of Russian-Mongolian relations which have been developing successfully for the benefit of the two nations”.

Metropolitan Kirill added that his visit to Mongolia was accompanied with high attention on the part of both the head of the Mongolian state, Mr. Bagabandi, and other officials and the public. “We can feel in Mongolia a good attitude towards Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church and we appreciate it”, His Eminence noted.