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On November 3, 2011, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, met with
President R. Minnikhanov of the Republic of Tatarstan. They met at the presidential office in the Kazan Kremlin.

They discussed inter-ethnic and interreligious problems and the experience of Tatarstan in the field of interreligious cooperation. It was noted that the republic’s authorities made efforts to prevent the dissemination of extremist literature, propaganda of radical views and calls to religious strife in Tatarstan. Metropolitan Hilarion pointed to the importance of efforts to oppose the attempts of extremists to violate the interreligious peace in the region under the cover of religion. He thanked the president for the assistance he gave to the diocese in restoring and preserving churches and monasteries which are architectural monuments.

Some 52% of people in Tatarstan claim to be Muslims while 43% Orthodox. There are about 1300 mosques and 260 Orthodox churches in the republic.

DECR Communication Service