Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk visits Holy Community of Mt. Athos and meets with Protepistate

On 17 December 2011, in conclusion of his pilgrimage to the shrines of Mt. Athos, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk visited the Holy Community, the conciliar governing body of all the monasteries of Mt. Athos.

Metropolitan Hilarion and his suite venerated the miraculous icon of the Mother of God called Axion Estin (“It is Truly Meet”) and met with Protepistate, monk Varnava, the elected head of the Holy Community. Participating in the meeting were members of the Holy Supervision: monks of the Stavronikita, Koutloumousiou, Karakalou, and Agiou Panteleiminos Monasteries.

The participants in the meeting discussed the life of the monasteries at present and the pilgrimage and exchanged gifts.

In his pilgrimage, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk was accompanied by archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR deputy chairman; protodeacon Alexiy Trunin; hierodeacon Ioann (Kopeikin), assistant to the DECR chairman; Leonid Sevastianov, executive director of the St. Gregory the Theologian Charity Foundation; and DECR staff members Anatoly Churyakov and Feodor Shulga.