Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk congratulates Metropolitan Emmanuel of France on his election as President of the Conference of European Churches

The Central Committee of the Conference of European Church (CEC) at its session on December 16, 2009, elected Metropolitan Emmanuel of France (Patriarchate of Constantinople) as new President of the CEC. Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations, who attended the Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission meeting on December 10-16 in Geneva, extended warm congratulations to Metropolitan Emmanuel during the closing session of the Commission.

Accepting his election as CEC President, Metropolitan Emmanuel said in particular that in this capacity he will give special priority ‘to the work aimed to bring the Russian Orthodox Church back to the full participation in the life of the CEC’. As is known, the Moscow Patriarchate suspended its membership in the CEC in October 2008 because of the refusal of the then CEC leaders to put to vote the membership of the Estonian Orthodox Church in the CEC.

DECR Communications Service