DECR representative takes part in meetings held by working bodies of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana

On 17-18 May 2017, the Working group and the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions held their meetings in Astana, Kazakhstan. These bodies were established to prepare the Congress that is held once in three years. The first one took place in 2003, the latest one, the 15^th, in June 2015. With the blessing of the chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, Rev. Dimitry Safonov, DECR secretary for inter-religious relations and executive secretary of the Interreligious Council of Russia, took part in the meetings.

The Working group that includes representatives of the Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England, as wells of Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism, held its session on May 17. Among the speakers was Rev. Dimitry Safonov who told about the activities of the Interreligious Council of Russia and outlined the main spheres of interfaith dialogue carried out by the Russian Orthodox Church.

The session of the Secretariat took place on May 18.  The members of the Secretariat unanimously supported the proposal to hold a meeting in Astana on October 10-11, 2018.

DECR Communication Service