Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk meets with Cuban ambassador to Russia
On February 7, 2012, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations, met with the Cuban Ambassador to Moscow, Juan Valdes Figueroa, at the DECR. Participating in the meeting were also M. Palacio, a DECR staff member, and Mr Alejandro Simancas, a counsellor of the Cuban Embassy.
The talk, which was held in a friendly atmosphere, concerned various aspects of cooperation between the Moscow Patriarchate and Cuba. Metropolitan Hilarion expressed satisfaction with the fact that despite some difficulties the historical thread of relations between the Russian and the Cuban peoples was not broken. The DECR chairman pointed to the importance of cultural exchange between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Republic of Cuba, in which the Days of Russian Culture held in October 2008 in Cuba became one of the major events.
His Excellency Juan Valdes Figueroa, on his part, stressed that the Cuban leaders sought to develop relations with the Moscow Patriarchate. The diplomat conveyed to Metropolitan Hilarion a congratulatory message sent by Chairman of the State Council and Council of Minister Raul Castro to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on the occasion of His Holiness’s 65th birthday.
In conclusion, the DECR chairman presented his high guests with some tokens of the meeting.
DECR Communication Service