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November 8, 2017 – Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR), met with the Apostolic Nuncio in Tokyo, Titular Archbishop Joseph Chennoth of Milevum.

They exchanged their views of the present state of the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, a new impetus to which was given by the historic meeting between Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Pope Francis of Rome in February 2016 in Havana. The Vatican representative in Japan told Metropolitan Hilarion about the history of the Catholic mission in the country initiated in 1549 by one of the founders of the Society of Jesus, Francis Xavier. They also talked about the ways in which the history of Christian preaching in Japan is reflected in works of the modern art.

Participating in the meeting, which took place at the Apostolic Nunciature building, were Archpriest Nikolay Katsyuban, rector of the Russian Orthodox Church Tokyo representation, Fr. Paul Obedzinski, first secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature; Ignatius Martinez, deputy general secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Japan; D. Petrovsky, DECR staff member; D. Shakura, second secretary of the Russian embassy in Japan; Matsukuma Yasufumi of the Catholic weekly in Japan; and Hieromonk Nikolay (Ono).

DECR Communication Service