Metropolitan Hilarion meets with His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem

On 22 January 2020, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR), currently in Israel with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, visited the premises of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and met with His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine.

They were joined at the meeting by Archimandrite Alexander (Yelisov), head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem; Hegumen Feofan (Lukianov), head of the DECR protocol section; Hieromonk Dometian (Markarian), deputy head of the Mission; Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations; and hieromonk Afanasy (Bukin), treasure of the Mission. Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina attended the meeting on the part of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos told the guests about the celebration of the feast of Theophany in the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, the situation in the Holy Land and in the entire Middle East region.

A wide range of issues of mutual interest was touched on at the meeting, at the end of which His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos and Metropolitan Hilarion exchanged memorable gifts.