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On 12 December 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, currently in Armenia with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and at the invitation of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God in Yerevan.

Concelebrating with Metropolitan Hilarion were archpriest Arseniy Grigorian, rector of the church; a DECR staff member hieromonk G. Guaita; and a DECR chairman’s assistant hierodeacon Ioann (Kopeikin).

Bishop Ovakim, head of the Inter-Church Department of the Armenian Apostolic Church, attended the divine service.

Metropolitan Hilarion delivered a homily, at the beginning of which he greeted the worshippers and conveyed the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to them.

In commemoration of common prayers, the DECR chairman donated an icon of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, to the parish. Archpriest Arseniy presented Metropolitan Hilarion with a copy of an Armenian miniature of the 13th century and the incense-amulet made by the Armenian craftsmen.

That same day, Metropolitan Hilarion was invited by His Holiness Karekin II to attend Sunday service at the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. After the Liturgy, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians received the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church at his residence and made a gift of a bishops’ staff to Metropolitan Hilarion, who presented His Holiness with a panagia made at the workshops of Moscow Patriarchate and the second volume of his book “Orthodoxy.”