Saturday, September 23, 2017

Met. Hilarion makes visit to EP Bartholomew

(mospat.ru) - On 18 September 2017, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, arrived in Istanbul. At the airport, he was met by Mr. Andrey Podelyshev, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Istanbul. In the evening of the same day the DECR chairman met with Mr. Alexei Yershov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Turkey.

On September 19, Metropolitan Hilarion visited the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr George in Phanar, he venerated the holy relics of Ss. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, and of the Holy Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised, as well as the other shrines. After that Metropolitan Hilarion met with His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. They were joined in the meeting by Metropolitan Emmanuel of France; Metropolitan Bartholomew of Smyrna, chief secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople; Archimandrite Vissarion (Komzias); Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations; Rev. Anatoly Churyakov, DECR interpreter; and Mr. Alexander Yershov, assistant to the DECR chairman.

Metropolitan Hilarion conveyed to His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew cordial fraternal greetings from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and a gift from him – an album of the Bible miniature illustrations made in the Palekh technique. Discussed during the lengthy meeting were various issues of promoting bilateral relations between the Patriarchates of Moscow and Constantinople, as well as the current problems of inter-Orthodox cooperation.

The same day later the DECR chairman left Istanbul.

4 comments:

  1. Perhaps because I am a Kansans, but this type of formality of speech and staging of greetings leaves me cold and seems fundamentally dishonest. But, I may be too swayed byy own experience and bias. Maybe someone can explain it to me?

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    Replies
    1. That's just how they do this sort of thing. If you ever get a directly translated announcement from the EP from Katharevousa you'll see just how far it can go. :)

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    2. Whatever happened to "let your yes be yes and your no, no".

      Of course, I have not trusted the EP since I came into the Church.

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    3. It's diplomacy--of a sort. (As soon as the EP dies, the MP will declare Third Rome. Volokoamsk is probably trying to get the Turks to abolish the EP.)

      If a lady says no, she means maybe.
      If a lady says maybe, she means yes.
      If a lady says yes, she is no lady.

      If a diplomat says yes, he means maybe.
      If a diplomat says maybe, he means no.
      If a diplomat says no, he is no diplomat.

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