Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk meets with UNESCO director general

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, met on 2 March 2010 with UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova.

Participating in the meeting, which took place at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, were also Hegumen Philip Riabykh, DECR vice-chairman, Ms. E. Mitrofanova, UNESCO Executive Committee chair and Russian permanent representative at UNESCO, Ms. Katerina Stenou, director of UNESCO Division of Cultural Policies and Intercultural Dialogue, and other staff of the UNESCO secretariat.

They discussed Ms. Bokova’s initiative to set up a High Panel on Peace and
Dialogue among Cultures, which held its first meeting on 18 February 2010 in Paris. They also considered prospects for the participation of the Russian Orthodox Church in the UNESCO cultural and educational projects.

It was agreed to continue and develop cooperation in the areas of mutual concern.

DECR Communication Service