Metropolitan Hilarion begins his visit to Slovakia
On 8th February 2014, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR), arrived in Slovakia with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to take part in the enthronement of the new Primate of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. Metropolitan Hilarion is accompanied by archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations, and Alexander Yershov, assistant to the DECR chairman.
They were met at the airport in Košice by Archbishop Jurai of Michalovce and Košice; H.E. Pavel Kuznetsov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Slovak Republic; archpriest Nikolai Lischenyuk, rector of the Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Karlovy Vary; and clerics of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.
Metropolitan Hilarion visited the Cathedral of the Assumption in Košice and venerated the relics of St. John the Merciful and other relics resting in the cathedral.
In Prešov, Archbishop Rastislav, Metropolitan-elect, gave dinner in honour of the delegations of the Local Orthodox Churches which arrived to the celebration. Metropolitan Hilarion warmly greeted Archbishop Rastislav with his election as Primate of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia and wished him God’s help in his noble primatial ministry.