DECR chairman congratulates François Hollande on his election President of the French Republic

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, sent the following greetings to François Hollande with his election President of the French Republic:

Dear Mr. Hollande:

Please accept my congratulations on your election for the high post of President of the French Republic.

The rich experience of your political activities instills confidence in that your inherent openness to cooperation would serve to the development of the good-neighbourly relations between people of our countries.

The strengthening of relations with France is an important direction in the external activities of the Moscow Patriarchate. The traditions of Russian Orthodoxy have been preserved in your country. These traditions have been brought to the life of French society by many of our compatriots who had to emigrate from Russia after the tragic events of 1917.

The parishes of the Korsun diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church serve people in the territory of France; an Orthodox seminary is open in Paris. I hope that the French authorities will continue to be attentive and supportive to them.

I wish peace and prosperity to you and in your person to all citizens of France.

Yours truly,

+ Hilarion

Metropolitan of Volokolamsk

Chairman

Department for External Church Relations

Moscow Patriarchate