Home page News
Communiqué of Meeting of the Primates and&nbs…

Communiqué of Meeting of the Primates and representatives of  seven Local Orthodox Churches held in Moscow on the occasion of the 65th birthday of  the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia

On November 21, 2011, the Primates and representatives of seven Local Orthodox Churches: Antiochian, Russian, Georgian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Polish and of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, ­met at the patriarchal residence in the Moscow Kremlin on the occasion of the 65th birthday of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

Participating in the meeting were:

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia,

Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia Iliya II,

Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland,

Metropolitan Christopher of the Czech Lands and Slovakia,

Metropolitan Nifon of Filippopolis (Antiochian Orthodox Church),

Metropolitan Nifon of Târgovişte (Romanian Orthodox Church),

Metropolitan Dometian of Vidin (Bulgarian Orthodox Church).

On the eve of the meeting, the Primates and representatives of the seven Local Orthodox Churches celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Christ the Savior on the occasion of the 65th birthday of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. They gave thanks to God for the opportunity of fraternal meeting, greeted the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, and wished him many happy returns and God’s help in his primatial ministry.

The Primates and representatives of the fraternal Local Churches of the East-European region stated that they have had common experience. Each of these Churches suffered different kinds of oppression by the theomachist political systems and now encounters new challenges that replaced the dominance of anti-religious ideology. These challenges include secularization, propagation of permissiveness and consumerism, and erosion of moral standards.

The participants in the meeting noted the necessity of stimulating the Church’s mission and expressed their support to the extension of its social ministry in constructive cooperation with all healthy social forces. While interacting with society, the Church does not forget oppressions it had suffered and cherishes the freedom it has gained.

The Primates and representatives of the Local Churches which have survived under hard historical circumstances expressed their solidarity with the Churches of the Middle East and North Africa: of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem and Cyprus, and expressed their sympathy with all Christians of the Middle East who suffer oppressions and in certain cases are subjected to direct persecution for the faith today, as well as the orthodox Serbians of Kosovo.

The participants noted the significance of the recent regional meetings of the Primates and representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches held in Cyprus, Jordan, and Constantinople on the initiative of the Heads of the respective Churches. The meetings facilitated inter-Orthodox cooperation on the situation of Christians in the Middle East and drew attention of the world community to the problem of discrimination against Christians in the region.

The Primates and representatives of the seven Churches welcomed the revival of conciliar life in the Church in recent years and expressed their hope that the pre-conciliar process will in due time lead to the convocation of the Pan-Orthodox Council, which might solve many important church problems. Procedure and content of the Council should be thoroughly prepared, and the position of each Local Church should be taken into consideration. For this objective, it is necessary to adhere to the principle of consensus in decision-making during the preparation process and at the Council itself.

The participants in the meeting emphasized that the Council should give a competent response to the modern challenges. The Council’s decisions should fully correspond to the dogmatic and canonical Tradition and not introduce novelties that might endanger the unity of the Holy Church.

+ Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia

+ Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia Iliya II

+ Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland

+ Metropolitan Christopher of the Czech Lands and Slovakia

+ Metropolitan Nifon of Filippopolis

+ Metropolitan Nifor of Târgovişte

+ Metropolitan Dometian of Vidin

November 8/21, 2011

Synaxis of the Archangel Michael
and the Other Bodiless Powers
of
Heaven

Share:
Congratulations of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the President of Turkey on his 70th birthday

26.02.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill's condolences in connection with the murder of the monks of the Ziquala Abo Monastery in Ethiopia

24.02.2024

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the XII Christmas Parliamentary Meetings at the Federation Council of the Russian Federation

23.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: Patriarch of Constantinople is not a free man

07.01.2024

Christmas Message from Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Rus’

06.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill had phone conversation with Metropolitan Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol

02.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill expresses condolences over deadly earthquake in northwest China

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill congratulates Mr Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on his re-election as President of Egypt

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill welcomes the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the decoration of the Church of St Sava in Belgrade

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presides over jubilee meeting of Inter-Religious Council of Russia

07.12.2023

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at jubilee meeting of Inter-Religious Council of Russia

07.12.2023

Patriarchal greetings on the occasion of 60th anniversary of the Diocese of Vienna and Austria

26.11.2023

Primate of Russian Church presents historic miracle-working Kazan Icon of the Mother of God to the faithful and celebrates Liturgy in the Kremlin Dormition Cathedral

04.11.2023

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ to the participants of the World Conference of Compatriots Living Abroad

01.11.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill met with the Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East

31.10.2023

Metropolitan Hilarion: Many things in a person's life depend on faith

29.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Holy Spirit is the main treasure of the Christian soul

01.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: Holiness is a constant striving to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ

27.06.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: God does not want to condemn, but to save us

07.03.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord always grants to us the opportunity to display our talents

24.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord has imbued the waters of Jordan with his divine presence to wash away human sins

19.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: to repent means to change your way of life

17.01.2021

On commemoration day of St. Catherine, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk officiated at the Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr In-the-Fields  the representation of the Orthodox Church in America

07.12.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We can always show compassion for people

29.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates on commemoration day of St. Varlaam of Khutyn at the church of ‘Joy to All the Afflicted’ icon of the Mother of God

19.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We should remember that the life of each human being is in the hands of God

06.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: For God there is nothing impossible

25.10.2020

Metropoplitan Hilarion: The cross which was an instrument of dishonourable execution becomes the symbol of salvation for millions of people

27.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Eucharist is the wedding feast, to which Lord Jesus Christ invites each of us

13.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Faith alone is not enough for salvation

30.08.2020

Page is available in the following languages
Feedback

Fields marked by * are mandatory required

Send a message
Рус Укр Eng Deu Ελλ Fra Ita Бълг ქარ Срп Rom عرب