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On June 27, 2011, Hegumen Philaret (“Bulekov), a DECR vice-chairman, received Rev. Kimo Kaariainen, who has been recently appointed director for international relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland.

They discussed various aspects of cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland. They gave special attention to the need to assert the Christian understanding of human freedom, rights and dignity in people’s awareness today, to respect traditional ideas of the family and to oppose discrimination against Christians on religious grounds.

Summing up the 40-year-long bilateral theological talks, Rev. K. Kaariainen said in particular, ‘The theological dialogue with the Russian Church has made it possible for us, Finnish Lutherans, not only to come to a better knowledge of Orthodoxy but also to come to a deeper understanding of our own tradition’.

Participating in the meeting was also Rev. Dimitry Sizonenko, DECR acting secretary for inter-Christian relations.

DECR Communication Service