Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk arrives in Germany

On 23 April 2013, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, arrived in Berlin. The DECR chairman visits Germany with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. This visit is timed to the celebration of the centenary of the Russian memorial church of St. Alexius in Leipzig and the Year of Russia in Germany and the Year of Germany in Russia.

Accompanying Metropolitan Hilarion on his visit is archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, DECR secretary for far abroad countries.

At the Berlin Schönefeld Airport, Metropolitan Hilarion was met by Archbishop Longin of Klin, representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Germany, and hegumen Daniel (Irbits), abbot of the Monastery of St George in Götschendorf.

Metropolitan Hilarion will visit Berlin, Leipzig and Potsdam, and will meet with   Mr. Norbert Lammert, President of the Bundestag; Ms. Emily Haber, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany; Rainer Cardinal Woelki, Archbishop of Berlin; Mr. Vladimir Grinin, Ambassador of Russia to Germany; Mr. Vyacheslav Logutov, Consul General of Russia in Leipzig; Mr. Burkhard Jung, Lord Mayor of Leipzig; and with Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia, head of the House of Hohenzollern.

The Moscow Synodal Choir will perform at the celebrations in Leipzig.