Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations meets with Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences
On June 13, 2012, DECR chairman Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk met at the DECR with Archbishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Participating in the meeting were also Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, Apostolic Nuncio to the Russian Federation, Mgr Andrzej Jusvovic, fist secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature, Archpriest Vladimir Shmaliy, pro-rector of the Sts Cyril and Methodius Post-Graduate School, Archpriest Dimitry Sizonenko, DECR Secretary for inter-Christian relations, and Deacon Alexey Dikarev.
Welcoming the guest, Metropolitan Hilarion underscored the importance of Archbishop Sorondo’s visit to Moscow for the development of cooperation between the Synodal Biblical-Theological Commission and the ROC Post-Graduate School with the world-renowned Pontifical Academy of Sciences with outstanding scholars from various countries as its members. The experience accumulated by the Academy in holding dialogue between theology and science may prove to be very useful for the development of a similar dialogue in today’s Russia with her rich scientific traditions.
Archbishop M. Sanchez Sorondo thanked Metropolitan Hilarion for the warm welcome and expressed confidence that the cooperation can become mutually beneficial since dialogue between faith and knowledge has been conducted throughout the history of Christianity and is deeply rooted in the tradition of both the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. The prelate made a special mention of the importance that Pope Benedict XVI gives to mutually enriching dialogue between religion and science.
In conclusion of the meeting, which was held in a friendly atmosphere, Metropolitan Hilarion congratulated the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Jurkovic on the 60th birthday he marked recently and presented the guests with tokens of the meeting.
DECR Communication Service