Metropolitan Hilarion concludes his visit to Ethiopia

On September 15, 2011, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, visited the town of Lalibela in northern Ethiopia to see the Ethiopian churches and monasteries there.

On September 16, Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia V. Utkin gave dinner in honour of the high guest. Present were also Russian diplomats, Archpriest Mikhail Gundyaev, ROC representative at the World Council of Churches, Rev. Alexander Vasyutin of the DECR, Hierodeacon Ioann (Kopeikin), assistant to the DECR chairman, and Mr. L. Sevastyanov, executive director of the Gregory the Theologian Charity.

During the dinner, Metropolitan Hilarion explained to Russian diplomats the priorities set by the Russian Orthodox Church in her external work, the peculiarities of pastoral ministry in the diaspora, as well as the nature and specificity of dialogue between Orthodox and non-Chalcedonian Churches to which the Church of Ethiopia belongs. In conclusion of the dinner, Mr. Utkin invited Metropolitan Hilarion to come to Ethiopia again to consider a possibility for pastoral care of Russian compatriots residing in Ethiopia.

Later that evening the DECR chairman and his party left for Moscow.

DECR Communication Service