His Holiness Patriarch Kirill’ condolences upon the demise of Prof. Dr. Fairy von Lilienfeld

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia sent his condolences to Bishop Johannes Friedrich of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria over the demise of Prof. Dr. Fairy von Lilienfeld, a decades-long participant in the “Arnolshain” theological dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Church in Germany. The text is given below.

Rev. Bishop Dr. Johannes Friedrich:

Please accept my sincere condolences upon the loss of Prof. Dr. Fairy von Lilienfeld.

We shall remember her as a decades-long friend of the Russian Orthodox Church. Prof. Dr. Fairy von Lilienfeld visited our country many times and completely understood all the difficulties of the Orthodox Christians lacking freedom. Many hierarchs and rank-and-file believers have been acquainted with her and appreciated an opportunity communicate with this interesting person. Prof. Dr. Fairy von Lilienfeld had very friendly relations with a renowned hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov). She spoke of him as of a great toiler who had brought our Church from isolation from the rest of Christian world. Prof. Dr. von Lilienfeld had done a lot for strengthening the authority of our Church among the European Christians. She wrote many scholarly works, among them those that have introduced Western Christians to the spiritual heritage of the Orthodox Church.

Prof. Dr. Fairy von Lilienfeld has brought an invaluable contribution to the dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Church in Germany. She was named an honourary member of the Moscow Theological Academy in 1985.

We shall remember Fairy von Lilienfeld as an outstanding theologian and wonderful person who loved Russia wholeheartedly and understood the very soul of Orthodoxy.

Yours truly,

+ KIRILL

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia