DECR chairman visits Philadelphia affected by hurricane

On 31 October 2012, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, while in the USA with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, visited the city of Philadelphia, PA, affected by the hurricane.

Metropolitan Hilarion met with Archbishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania and Bishop Michael of New York and New Jersey (Orthodox Church in America). The DECR chairman expressed his condolences over the natural disaster that has befallen the US east coast. The participants in the meetings discussed various issues of church life of the Orthodox Church in America.

Metropolitan Hilarion also met with His Beatitude Jonah, the former Primate of the Orthodox Church in America.

That same day, Metropolitan Hilarion visited the John Templeton Foundation and met with its President Dr. John M. Templeton, Jr., and its Executive Vice President, Dr. Michael J. Murray. Discussed, in particular, were prospects for cooperation between the John Templeton Foundation and the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission.