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Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, has been on a brief working visit to Budapest on September 19-20, 2010.

On September 19, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Hungarian capital. The liturgy was traditionally celebrated in Hungarian, Greek and Slavonic. Metropolitan Hilarion read the Gospel in Greek. After the Dismissal, His Eminence Hilarion delivered a homily reminding the worshippers of the words of St. Isaac the Syrian about God’s love of people.

As a token of the service, the DECR chairman presented the Cathedral of the Assumption with an icon of St. Isaac the Syrian painted by Protodeacon Alexy Trunin.

Archpriest Stefan Magyar, rector of the cathedral, greeted the DECR chairman on behalf of the clergy of the Hungarian diocese, recalling the six years that Metropolitan Hilarion spent in Austria and Hungary as ruling bishop.

After the liturgy, Metropolitan Hilarion had a talk with the cathedral parishioners at the refectory. The repast that followed was attended by all the concelebrants as well as Archpriest Ioann Kadar, rector of the Parish of St. Sergius in Budapest.

In the evening, Metropolitan Hilarion had a meeting with Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, Patriarchate of Constantinople, President of the Conference of European Churches. They discussed a wide range of issues concerning the participation of Orthodox Churches in the CEC, the preparations for the Pan-Orthodox Council and various inter-Christian dialogues.

On September 20, Metropolitan Hilarion met with the president of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences in Europe, Cardinal Peter Erdo, Primate of Hungary. They discussed problems involved in Orthodox-Catholic cooperation in Europe and exchanged opinions on the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue.

DECR Communication Service