Delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations meets with Patriarch of Romania

On June 27, 2012, the delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations (DECR), while on a visit to Romania with the blessing of the DECR chairman Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk and on the invitation of the Patriarchate of Romania, was received in audience by His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, at his residence in Bucharest.

The delegation included Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, DECR secretary for the far-abroad countries, Father Stephan (Igumnov) of the secretariat for inter-Orthodox relations, and Mr. Ye. Speranskaya of the secretariat for inter-Christian relations.
During the meeting, its participants discussed a number of aspects concerning the cooperation between the two Churches. His Beatitude conveyed a message of gratitude to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia for support the Russian Orthodox Church expressed to the Patriarchate of Romania when the case ‘Good Shepard Trade Union vs. Romania’ was considered by the European Court of Human Rights.

Patriarch Daniel took his guests on a tour of his residence including the Holy Synod meeting hall, the memorial museum of the late Patriarchs of Romania and the domestic chapel. His Beatitude told them the story of the residence, presented them with tokens and expressed the wish that their visit to Romania may be successful and may contribute to the development of relations between the Russian and Romanian Orthodox Churches. The DECR delegation thanked the Patriarch for the meeting and presented him with reciprocal gifts.

Later, in answering questions from Romanian church journalists, Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev told them about the visit of the DECR representatives to Romania.
Later that day, the delegation was received by the secretary of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Bishop Cyprian of Campina who told them about the administrative and external church work carried out by the Patriarchate of Romania.

Continuing to familiarize themselves with churches and monasteries in Bucharest, the DECR delegation visited the Patriarchal Cathedral of Sts. Constantine and Helen Equal-to-the-Apostles, in which the late Romanian Patriarchs are buried, and arrived in the evening at the Karaiman Monastery near Sinaia in South Carpathians to talk with the monastic community, to see the work of the children’s Orthodox center and to worship together at the Divine Liturgy on June 29 when the Romanian Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. Peter and Paul.

Source: mospat.ru