15th Theological Talks with representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland open in Finland

On 6 September 2011, the 15^th theological talks between representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (Sinappi-XV) began in Siikaniemi, Finland, Metropolitan Aleksandr of Astana and Kazakhstan, head of the Moscow Patriarchate delegation, read out greetings from Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR), to the participants in the forum. By the decision of the Holy Synod (Minutes 28; 22 March 2011), the Russian Orthodox Church is represented also by Bishop Amvrosiy, rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy (StPTA); archimandrite Iannuary (Ivliev), professor of the StPTA; archimandrite Kirill (Govorun), first deputy chairman of the Education Committee at the Holy Synod; archpriest Vladimir Shmaliy, secretary of the Synodal Biblical-Theological Commission; and archpriest Dimitry Sizonenko, DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations.

The meeting will last till September 11 and consider the topic, “The Church as a Community. Christian Identity and Membership in the Church.” Representatives of the two Churches will present reports to the participants in the dialogue; joint communiqué will be issued.