Print This Post


On 31 March 2011, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR), arrived in Serbia at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia and with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. He is accompanied on his visit to the Serbian Orthodox Church by Rev. Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for Inter-Orthodox relations; hierodeacon Ioann (Kopeikin), assistant to the DECR chairman; Leonid Sevastianov, executive director of the St. Gregory the Theologian Charity Foundation; and D. Malyshev, counselor to the general director of “OAO MPCK Holding.’

The DECR chairman was met at Belgrade Nikola Tesla airport by Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremić; Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Konuzin; Serbian Ambassador to Russia Jelica Kurjak; Bishop Atanasije of Hvosno; Bishop Antonije of Moravicí, representative of the Patriarch of Serbia to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; and rector of the Russian Orthodox Metochion in Belgrade archpriest Vitaly Tarasjev.

Metropolitan Hilarion and his suite proceeded from the airport to the premises of the Serbian Patriarchate to meet His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia.