There have been lots of news updates on the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew to Russia. I have kept the posting to a reasonable level by not republishing all of the numerous photo-ops. His All Holiness has had quite the whirlwind trip, visiting monasteries and other holy places, attending the Slavonic Literature and Culture festivities, etc. It seems to have been a productive visit and I am heartened to see the strained and at times confrontational relationship has improved noticeably. The pictures attached to this post are actually from Patriarch Bartholomew's visit to the Department of External Church Relations today.
(mospat.ru) - Delegations of the Orthodox Churches of Constantinople and Russia held talks during the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, on 25 May 2010, at the patriarchal working residence at Peredelkino near Moscow. Before the talks, His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew and his delegation visited the residence’s chapel dedicated to the Icon of Our Lady Quick to Hearken.
In the beginning of the talks, Patriarchs Bartholomew and Kirill signed a joint message to President Medvedev of the Russian Federation and Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey, expressing condolences over the traffic accident that had happened to Russian tourists in Antalya and caused many fatalities.
In a fraternal talk that followed to last for over two hours in a spirit of trust and mutual understanding, the delegations discussed urgent problems involved in bilateral relations between the Churches of Constantinople and Moscow as well as common Orthodox matters, including preparations for a Pan-Orthodox Council, inter-Christian dialogue, pastoral care of Russian-speaking Orthodox people in Turkey and development of Orthodox pilgrimage to the Christian holy places of ancient Byzantium.
The Patriarchate of Constantinople was represented by Metropolitan Michael of Austria, Metropolitan Irinaios of Myriofytos and Peristasis, Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, Archimandrite Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis), chief secretary of the Holy Synod, Archimandrite Vissarion (Komzias) and Archdeacon Maxim (Vgenopoulos).
Participating in the talks from the Moscow Patriarchate were Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna; Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations; Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate administrative secretariat; Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman; Rev. Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations, and A. Churyakov, DECR interpreter.
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