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On May 16, 2014, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, met with Colombia’s newly appointed ambassador to the Russian Federation, H. E. Jaime Giron Duarte, at the DECR. In attendance were Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, DECR secretary for far abroad, and Miguel Palacio, DECR staff member.

Metropolitan Hilarion warmly welcomed the Colombian diplomat, wishing him God’s help in his new service. His Eminence introduced the guest to today’s situation of the Russian Orthodox Church and informed him of the Moscow Patriarchate’s presence in Colombia and Latin American countries, pointing to the high level of relations established between the Department for External Church Relations and the Moscow diplomatic missions of other Latin American countries.

Mr. J. G. Duarte, on his part, thanked Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk for the generous welcome, stressing that for him a meeting with the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations was his first official function in Russia after the delivery of copies of his credentials in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

They discussed various matters of mutual concern. After the talk they exchanged tokens of the meeting.

 

DECR Communication Service