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On 17 February 2012, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR), currently on a working visit to Paris with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, met with Alexander Orlov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the French Republic.

They were joined in the meeting that took place at the Ambassador’s residence, by Bishop Nestor of Korsun; hieromonk Alexander (Siniakov), rector of the Russian Orthodox Theological seminary in Paris; Counsellor for Cultural Affairs of the Russian Embassy, I. Solovyov; artistic director of the Synodal Choir, Alexei Puzakov; Rev. Maxim Politov of the Korsun diocese; and hierodeacon Ioann (Kopeikin), assistant to the DECR chairman.

Discussed were prospects of cooperation between the Russian Embassy in France and the Russian Orthodox Church in 2012, including the celebration of the centenary of the St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Nice and the laying of the first stone of the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Moscow Patriarchate in Paris.

Consideration was given to the protection of Christians in the Middle East and in the North African countries.

Metropolitan Hilarion presented Ambassador Orlov with a book about the Department for External Church Relations.