His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia Meets His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Patriarch-Catholicos of All Georgia

HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH ALEXY II OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA MEETS HIS HOLINESS AND BEATITUDE ILIA II, PATRIARCH-CATHOLICOS OF ALL GEORGIA

On 25 November 2003 His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia met with His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Patriarch-Catholic of All Georgia in the Patriarch’s residence in Chisty pereulok in Moscow. Taking part in the meeting also was Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy cordially greeted the high guest and noted that their meeting took place on the threshold of the quadrilateral meeting taking part in which will be the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholic of All Armenians, and Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukiur Pasha-zade, head of the Administration of the Muslims of the Caucasus and spiritual leader of the Muslims of Transcaucasia.

That same day President Vladimir V.Putin of Russia will meet with the participants.

During the talk His Holiness Patriarch Ilea noted that radical and nationalist slogans have been resounding recently aimed at causing the fraternal nations of Georgia and Russia to quarrel, but the believers of both countries are and will remain in the indissoluble spiritual and historical unity as the children of Universal Orthodoxy united by the centuries-long friendship and common faith.