DECR chairman meets with Manila Archbishop Cardinal Tagle

On 9 August 2019, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, currently on a working visit at the Philippines, met with Louis Antonio Gokim Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila.

Taking part in the meeting also were H.E. Igor Khovayev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Philippines; Metropolitan Sergy of Singapore and Southeast Asia, Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia; Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansyisk and Surgut, acting administrator of the Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam; secretary of the Exarchate Hieromonk Pitirim (Dodenko); Metropolitan Pavel’s secretary Hieromonk Antony (Kirpichev); and Hieromonk Nikolay (Ono) of the Moscow Patriarchate Representation in Tokyo.

Metropolitan Hilarion informed Cardinal Tagle of the establishment of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia and the Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam as its part and introduced its new acting administrator.

Various issues of bilateral relations between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Roman Catholic Church were discussed.