News

Italian version of Patriarch Kirill’s Freedom and Responsibility presented at Catholic University of Milan

The Italian version of Patriarch Kirill's book entitled Freedom and Responsibility was presented on 17 May 2010 at the Catholic University of Milan. The presentation was led by Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's department for external church relations.

Metropolitan Hilarion meets with Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity

On 19 May 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, currently in Rome with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, met with the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper, at the Council's library in the Vatican.

St. Seraphim Church in New York fundraises for unique frescoes dedicated to unity of the Russian Church

St Seraphim Church in Sea Cliff (NY, USA) fundraises for the unique frescoes dedicated to the 1000-year history of the Russian Orthodox Church and the reestablishment of unity with the Russian Church Abroad in 2007. "I call upon all of you whose hearts and souls burn with love and fervor toward the Russian Orthodox Church, toward the glorious pages of its history, toward the many burdens of its peoples, toward her culture, to answer the call of this worthy project by donating funds," Archpriest Serafim Gan, Parish Rector, Chancellor of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Secretary of the First Hierarch, said in his address posted at the official ROCOR website on Monday.

Russian Orthodox clergy participate in conference of Russian compatriots living in China

The 4th Conference of Russian Compatriots in China took place on May 4-5, 2010, in Harbin under the theme ‘Russian Historical Heritage in China: Problems of Study, Preservation and Popularization in the Light of the 65th Anniversary of the Great Victory'. It was attended by representatives from all the regions in China as well as Russian Orthodox clergy including Archpriest Dionisy Pozdnyaev, rector of Sts Peter and Paul's Church in Hong Kong, and Rev. Sergiy Voronin, rector of the Orthodox Community of the Dormition at the Russian embassy.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew attends event with Greek traditional dances

On Tuesday, May 4, 2010, His All Holiness attended an event with traditional dances from the dance group of the Patriarchal Great School of the Nation at the Cultural and Artistic Association of Ferikoi.

Source: www.patriarchate.org (Photo by N. Manginas)

Code on Holy Sites presented in Istanbul

On 28 April 2010, Code on Holy Sites was presented at the session of the European Council of Religious Leaders. The document, compiled on the initiative of representatives of religious communities and expert circles from different countries, was adopted at the Conference in Trondheim in 2009. It was prepared with the aim of regulating the situation with holy sites of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

The document seeks to define the notion of holy sites: "Holy sites are places of religious significance for particular religious communities. They include, but are not limited to, places of worship, cemeteries and shrines, incorporating their immediate surroundings when these form an integral part of the site. For the purposes of this Code, holy sites are places of defined and limited area that are designated as such by each religious community according to its customs, recognizing also that a single site can be sacred to more than one community."