The talk, which was held in a friendly atmosphere, concerned various aspects of cooperation between the Moscow Patriarchate and Cuba. Metropolitan Hilarion expressed satisfaction with the fact that despite some difficulties the historical thread of relations between the Russian and the Cuban peoples was not broken. The DECR chairman pointed to the importance of cultural exchange between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Republic of Cuba, in which the Days of Russian Culture held in October 2008 in Cuba became one of the major events.

His Excellency Juan Valdes Figueroa, on his part, stressed that the Cuban leaders sought to develop relations with the Moscow Patriarchate. The diplomat conveyed to Metropolitan Hilarion a congratulatory message sent by Chairman of the State Council and Council of Minister Raul Castro to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on the occasion of His Holiness’s 65^th birthday.

In conclusion, the DECR chairman presented his high guests with some tokens of the meeting.

DECR Communication Service

His Holiness and Ambassador Barrow exchanged greetings.

During the talk, His Holiness mentioned that the first person from abroad who paid an official visit to the Moscow Patriarchate after the Revolution was Archbishop Cyril Forster Garbett of York. It happened in 1943, during the Great Patriotic War. “Ambassadors accredited in Moscow did not visit the leaders of our Church, and that was the first contact with the Embassy of Great Britain. We remember it and appreciate good relations between the Moscow Patriarchate represented by the Department for External Church Relations and the Embassy of Great Britain,” the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church said and continued by expressing his hope for the development of these relations with direct participation of Ambassador Barrow. He wished the diplomatic representative of the United Kingdom success in his mission “for the benefit of relations between our nations.”

Thanksgiving with Many Years to the Patriarch was celebrated after the Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer – Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Damascus. Archimandrite Alexander (Yelisov), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Antioch, sent a congratulatory address to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on behalf of the Russian Orthodox faithful living in the canonical territory of the Patriarchate of Antioch. Reception on the occasion was given after the divine service.

Thanksgiving was celebrated at the Church of St. Alexandra of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem. Hegumen Feofan (Lukianov), deputy head of the mission, officiated. The worshippers sang Many Years to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.

Hegumen Filipp (Vasiltsev), rector of the Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia and archpriest Nikolai Neshkov celebrated the Divine Liturgy and moleben with Many Years to His Holiness.

Clergymen and laymen offered up prayers at the St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York, thanking God for the election and enthronement of Patriarch Kirill. Many Years was sung to His Holiness and his flock saved-by-God children of the Russian Orthodox Church living in the Fatherland and beyond its borders.

Thanksgiving and Akathistos “Glory be to God for all things” in Church Slavonic and Icelandic were sung at Church of St. Nicholas stavropegic parish in Reykjavik.

On February 1, the 3rd anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill was celebrated in many parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in different countries.

It is the second attack committed against Christians in Syria comitted in the recent days. Fr. Basil Nassar of the Antiochean Orthodox diocese of Epiphany was shot down by bandits on January 26 at the town of Ham while giving aid to the wounded.

Archimandrite Alexander Yelisov, Moscow Patriarchate’s representative to the Patriarch of Antioch, called to the head of the Orthodox Church of Antioch, who is on a visit to Lebanon at present. Fr. Alexander shared with His Beatitude Ignatios IV, Patriarch of Great Antioch and All the East, his concern and assured him of the prayerful support of the Russian Orthodox Church in the hardships experienced by the church people in Syria today.

DECR Communication Service

His Majesty ABDULLAH II

King of Jordan

Your Majesty:

Please accept my heartfelt greetings with Your jubilee 50th birthday.

During the years You have been leading Jordan, You have won sincere love of Your people and have deserved deep respect and recognition in the entire Arab world and beyond it. It is gratifying to know that You are exerting many efforts aimed at the early diplomatic settlement of conflict situations in the Middle East countries.

There are many sites in Jordan which Christians hold sacred, and many pilgrims from all over the world come to them. The number of believers from the Russian Orthodox Church coming to venerate these holy sites has increased recently. It is a great pleasure to know that warm hospitality is always accorded to pilgrims coming to Your country. I hope that this good tradition will be kept up.

I would like to express to Your Majesty a particular gratitude for the handing over of a plot of land by the River Jordan to Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church highly appreciates the efforts of the Royal family to arrange a historical-religious reserve on the site. I am confident that this will bring a substantial contribution to the strengthening of friendly relations between our states.

On this festive solemn day I wish You, Your Majesty, spiritual and physical health, success in Your work and help from the Almighty, and to all people of Jordan – peace and prosperity.

With deep respect,

/+KIRILL/

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

Q. Your Holiness, as you know, Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija have recently appealed to President Medvedev to grant them Russian citizenship, and his answer is already known. The Serbs appealed to you as well, and their desire was dictated by despair and helplessness in the situation in which they have been caught. The recent initiatives of Serbs in Kosovo for Russian citizenship have given a powerful signal that should be heard not only in Russia but throughout Europe.

Your words have always been a great moral support for our people and country. What message could you convey to all the Serbian citizens, especially Orthodox faithful, and encourage them in this grave period of history?

A. The Serbs who live in Kosovo and Metohija have become hostages in a major political game. Given the indifferent attitude of many states, they are forced to stay in closed enclaves, experiencing everyday anxiety because of the hostile people around who are aware of their impunity. Our brothers in faith have a great courage not to abandon their much-suffering land and holy places and have to live like concentration camp inmates who are denied even the basic right to life. Here we see a glaring injustice, double standards and lies of the policy declaring commitment to the ideal of humanism and human rights protection while shutting its eye to the hell created by extremists with support from their foreign sponsors.

The Lord says to St. Paul, ‘My power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Cor. 12:9). When all the human resources are exhausted, when there seem to be no hope, then we see the help of God about which the Lord told to his apostle. In Russian history we see many examples when the country was on the verge of enslavement and destruction – in the Time of Trouble in 1612, and during the Polish intervention, in 1812 when Napoleon’s army invaded the country, and in 1941 when the Hitler’s armadas advanced with lightning speed in the territory of the Soviet Union. Not once the enemy was close to his aim but contrary to the logical development, Russia hurled back those invasions and rose from ruins and ashes. In this the believer sees God’s providence and His help.

I have no right to give any political advice to the Kosovo Serbs but will offer a counsel relevant in all times: turn to the Lord God with sincere prayer for help. And your brothers and sisters in faith in Russia will lift up their prayers together with you, and I believe the whole Universal Church will do the same. In the Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ repeats these words: ‘Do not be afraid!’ The fear of dangers and threats is a natural human feeling. But the Lord is always with us and He says to the Serbs in Kosovo today: ‘Do not be afraid!’

I am deeply thankful to the Kosovo Serbs for their letter to me and to the Russian state leaders, to ‘the Russian people and brothers’. Scores of thousands of people put their signatures under this letter. It has left no one of those who read it indifferent. Our hearts are deeply moved by the trust and love for Russia manifested in this letter. In response I would like to say: the Russian Church, the Orthodox Russian people will never turn away from you. No earthly gains, no changes in the current political situation will make us forget about our ages-old spiritual kinship.

Q. Russia, within her diplomatic and political resources, has given support to the Kosovo Serbs who have been caught in a difficult situation in all respects, socio-economic, legal, psychological. What support can the Serbs from Kosovo expect from the Russian Orthodox Church?

A. The Russian Federation has really given a considerable support to the Kosovo Serbs. For instance, by the decision of the Russian authorities, funds have been allocated through UNESCO for the restoration of ruined churches in Kosovo. This initiative deserves every encouragement. Other actions are taken as well to relieve the situation of our Serbian brothers who live in Kosovo, including the supply of humanitarian aid.

The Moscow Patriarchate has invariably supported the position taken by the Serbian Church with regard of the status of Kosovo. On the international arena, much was done for the protection of the Serbian population of the region by my predecessor, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II. In particular, he devoted to this problem a considerable part of his address to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly in 2007. I, too, will never stop making efforts for defending the Serbian brothers in their struggle to live in the land of their fathers.

It is very important that the holy places in Kosovo should not be abandoned. It would be a real spiritual catastrophe and would do a serious damage to Europe’s Orthodox heritage. Priceless are the monuments created by the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, and they are alive as long as prayers are lifted up in churches and the feat of monasticism is performed in monastery cells. I have approved the action program which will be implemented in 2012.

I have been to Kosovo several times and talked with local people and could see their difficult situation with my own eyes. What I saw made a strong impression on me. The Russian Orthodox Church was and will be in solidarity with the Kosovo Serbs. Our compatriots empathize with them and lift up ardent prayers for a speedy regulation of life in the Kosovo region. There is my voice too among these numerous voices of prayer.

Q. How do you assess the new calls of some Montenegro politicians to divide the Serbian Orthodox Church? The former prime minister of Montenegro, Milo Jukanovic, has recently stated the history will show the validity of his call to divide the Serbian Church.

A. History shows that attempts of particular political forces to put pressure on the Church in order to change her canonical order lead to nothing good.

Fortunately, in Montenegro there are many reasonable political leaders who share this point of view. In February 2009, I met with Montenegrin President Philip Vujanovic. I remember that during that meeting Mr. Vujanovic said that for him the Metropolia of Montenegro and Primorje was the only Orthodox canonical institution in Montenegro and pointed to the importance of the Metropolia’s taking pastoral care of the Serbs and Montenegrins.

All the Local Orthodox Churches consider Montenegro to be part of the canonical territory of the Serbian Patriarchate and this generally-shared Orthodox conviction should be respected.

Q. We know that representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church in their talks with representatives of the Vatican paid attention to the fact that it would be good for the Pope to voice and openly demand the protection of monuments and Christians themselves in Kosovo. The then Pope did not listen to the wise advice from Moscow. Is the situation changing in this respect with the coming of a new Pope?

A. When the discussion on the Kosovo problem began, the Pope Benedict XVI of Rome, as is known, took a well-considered stand on this problem. The Holy See still refrains from an official recognition of this part of Serbia as an independent state. Moreover, on the eve of the declaration of the independence of Kosovo, the Pope called the international community not to hurry to make the final decision on the status of that territory, emphasizing that the Orthodox monasteries there have a special historical and spiritual significance for the Serbs.

Exactly four days after the declaration of Kosovo’s independence in February 2008, Benedict XVI received in audience the Serbian ambassador to the Holy See. In the course of the meeting, the Pope underscored that the Serbs suffered much in the conflicts of the last decades and expressed concern for their situation in Kosovo. Since then he has repeatedly spoken for the protection of the rights of the Serbian minority.

Q. How will you explain the fact that Western Christians, that is, Catholics, did not show desire to defend old Orthodox, that is Christian, churches in Kosovo? These churches were burnt down and destroyed exactly at the time when Western peace-makers came in Kosovo?

A. Regrettably, the Western world, during the intervention of the NATO troops in the territory of former Yugoslavia, was subjected to a massive information attack and, to a considerable extent, was mislead. For long months, the Western mass media played up deliberately distorted information about ‘the atrocity of Milosevic’s regime’ committed against Kosovo Serbs, grossly exaggerating the number of victims of ‘ethnic cleansings’ carried out by the Serbian police in the region.

However, the hostilities themselves in Kosovo provoked in the Western Christian world a reaction far from unequivocal. Many Christians in the West were outraged by the inscription ‘Happy Easter!’ on bombs made by the American military.

Nevertheless, a number of Catholic bishops did come out in support of Kosovo’s automony, motivated by hopes for an improvement in the life of the Catholic community in the region, which were not to become true.

Other representatives of Western Christian churches and communities have repeatedly expressed concern for the vandalism of NATO’s military and for Albanian militants with their extremist attitude to the old shrines in Kosovo. Therefore, I believe, the Western Christians as a whole should not be blamed for the actions of the military. These actions were not dictated by religious beliefs.

Q. Many newspapers have recently reported on your possible meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. Do you still insist that all the disputed questions should be resolved first, because otherwise this meeting is meaningless?

A. Yes, I still believe that for this meeting to be a success it is necessary, if not settle the conflict problems in full, but at least to try to settle them more energetically.

The mass media have stressed only the sensational aspect of a possible meeting, but I do not like it at all to be reduced to sensational. To make it really beneficial for the further development of relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church it is necessary to radically improve the atmosphere of these relations through joint efforts for settling the problems existing in our relations.

Q. Under the former Pope, representatives of the Vatican often said they could not influence the Greek Catholics in Ukraine who captured Orthodox churches. Has the situation changed now or things have remained the same?

A. While stressing their loyalty to the see of Rome, the Ukrainian Greek Catholics have insisted on their own autonomy. When in 1990 a quadruple commission was set up including the Vatican, Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, in order to settle the situation in western Ukraine, the Greek Catholics actually wrecked its work. We have recently suggested that this commission be resumed but the Catholic side has been perfectly indifferent to our proposal.

In the course of regular contacts with leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, we have continually raised the question concerning the need to resolve the situation with regard to Orthodox churches in western Ukraine. Both the Pope of Rome and heads of respective Vatican congregations have expressed appreciation of our concern but the problem remains unresolved.

Q. The Russian Patriarch and the Pope were supposed to meet in 1997 in Graz, Austria. Ten days before the meeting, they in the Vatican deleted the part of the document to be signed concerning the harm of proselytism and conflict between the Orthodox and the Uniates in Ukraine. Since the 90s, Catholic churches have been opened in more than 200 Russian cities. Have the positions of Moscow and the Vatican become closer when proselytism is discussed now, or everything has remained the same?

A. It should be noted that the situation in the Orthodox-Catholic relations in Russia have noticeably improved in the last 10 years. The problem of proselytism is not as acute now as it was in the 90s when Catholic missionaries came to Russia to carry out their active work here. A positive role has been played by the Joint Group for Considering Problems in Relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church in Russia, which was set up in 2004. It has become a good platform for an open and honest discussion between representatives of the two Churches on concrete complicated problems and for a joint work to make recommendations for their solution.

It is necessary to develop cooperation between the Orthodox and the Catholics who have been guardians of the Christian tradition and who have similar views of personal and social ethics, scientific and technological progress, bioethics and other issues of today. Among the problems which have become increasingly relevant is Christianophobia, the persecution of Christians for their faith. In the area of the protection of the rights of Christians, I believe close Orthodox-Catholic cooperation to be promising, important and timely.

Organized as part of the 20th International Christmas Readings, the seminar was co-chaired by Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, DECR secretary for the far abroad, and V, Istratov, first executive director deputy of the Russian World Foundation’s Board.

Among the participants were A. Chepurin, director of the Foreign Ministry’s department for work with expatriates, V. Pugachev, deputy head of the Federal Agency for Expatriates and International Humanitarian Cooperation’s office for work with expatriates and non-governmental organizations, V. Moskvin, director of the Solzhenitsyn House of the Russian Abroad, Fr. Roman Kiselev of the DECR secretariat for the far abroad, and clergy and laity from Denmark, Italy, Portugal, France, Kazakhstan, Estonia and other countries, who came to Moscow for the Christmas Readings.

The participants considered the experience of pastoral, legal and social concern for expatriates, the efforts of church, state and society structures to consolidate and support expatriates and problems they encounter in this sphere. They heard reports by the co-chairmen and participants and held a fruitful discussion.

In his report, Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev spoke about problems hampering the building of a cohesive diaspora and ways of consolidating expatriates. He said in particular that ‘expatriates can be united on the foundation of religious tradition, culture, mother tongue and the historical memory of the people – all that ties one with one’s motherland and ancestry, which helps one to feel oneself and one’s mentality’. He also spoke about the work carried out by the Russian Church’s institutions abroad to support and consolidate expatriates.

Mr. Istratov related how the Russian World Foundation was created and what kind of work it carried out. Among the basic components of its work is to offer grants to various projects which propagate the Russian language and culture. He pointed to the positive experience of cooperation between the Church and the foundation.

Speaking about the work the Foreign Ministry carried out to help consolidate the Russian diaspora, Mr. Chepurin pointed to the importance of participation of the Russian Orthodox Church representatives in coordinating bodies set up by expatriates in various countries. He also noted the positive role the Russian Church played in consolidating expatriates and said that the Foreign Ministry and diplomatic embassies will continue to help her in these efforts.

Mr. Pugachev reported on the work carried out by his agency to support expatriates. He said that the Russian Government recently charged his agency with monitoring the condition of expatriates’ burial places abroad. He also made a progress report on the restoration work carried out by Russian Centers of Science and Culture at Russian cemeteries.

Mr. Moskvin spoke of the work of the Solzhenitsyn House of the Russian Abroad, a major center in Russia engaged in studying the legacy of the Russian émigrés. The House launched a project for studying the history of parishes abroad and systematizing their archives. It is also planned to prepare photographical and interactive expositions about the life of Russian parishes.

Among those who spoke on the parish work to offer pastoral care to expatriates were Fr. Arseny (Sokolov), rector of the Parish of All Saints in Lisbon, Fr. Ambrose (Makar), rector of the Parish of St. Ambrose of Milan in Milan, Rev. Sergiy Bondarev, rector of the Parish of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky in Copenhagen, Fr. Joseph (Pavlinchuk), sacristan of the church of the Three Hierarchs in Paris, and Mr. Paart, a member of the delegation of the Estonian Orthodox Church, and Mr. A. Kosichko, head of the department of philosophy, culture and religion, Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences.

DECR Communication Service

He celebrated the festive Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of Waters.

Notably, it was the first time for a long period that the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at St. Nicholas in Nice by a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Bishop Nestor was assisted by Archpriest Nikolay Ozolin, rector of the cathedral, Protodeacon Alexy Sobolev and Deacon Maxim Politov, the website of the diocese of Chersonese reports.

Singing during the liturgy was the choir conducted by the cathedral precentor A. Fisochenko who served in the cathedral for many years.

After the liturgy Bishop Nestor addressed the numerous guests and parishioners, expressing the hope that a strong Orthodox community will soon be built in that magnificent cathedral.

After the Prayer Behind the Ambo, Bishop Nestor and his concelebrants led a procession with the Great Blessing of Waters.

After that the ruling bishop had a talk with the flock and guests and shared a festive meal with them.

DECR Communication Service

Please accept my cordial congratulations on the Nativity of Christ and the New Year. St. John the Apostle said: “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him” (1 Jn 4:9). During these bright days we, like shepherds from Bethlehem to whom the angels brought good news of the born Christ, again are filled with great joy (Lk 2:10). It is this joy that helps us overcome difficulties and misfortunes in our life and gives us strength for creative and zealous labour. We should remember that the Lord calls people to live in peace and harmony and love people as brothers. The future of humanity can be built only on these simple, but intransient truths.
I wish you good health and help of Christ the Saviour in your ministry to the good of your people in the coming year.
With respect,

/+KIRILL/
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

Accept my cordial congratulations on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ and the New Year.
The mystery of the incarnation of God, which has transfigured peoples’ lives, has been and remains the inspirational symbol of hope, for ‘the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them’ (Lk 9:56). In sharing the joy in the Saviour who has come into the world, all Christians draw from his earthly endeavour the strength for an honourable life according to love and justice. The future of countries and nations, enlightened by faith in Christ, is unthinkable without following its eternal truths which are to find their reflection in all manifestations of public life.
I wish you good health and the help of God in your labours.
With respect,

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk
Chairman
Department for External Church Relations
Moscow Patriarchate

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia sent a message to H. E. Karolos Papoulias, President of the Hellenic Republic, expressing concern over  detention of the abbot of the Vatopedi Monastery of the Annunciation on the Holy Mount Athos. Text of the message is given below.

To: His Excellency Mr. Karolos Papoulias

President of the Hellenic Republic

Your Excellency:

It is with a feeling of deep concern that I take the news on the detention of Archimandrite Ephrem, abbot of the Monastery of Vatopedi.

I do not cast doubt on the authority of the justice bodies of Greece and express my hope for their just and impartial ruling on the property of the Monastery of Vatopedi. At the same time, I am surprised at the pretrial detention of the monk who does constitute any danger to society and who has repeatedly expressed his willingness to cooperate with investigation. Archimandrite Ephrem’s failing health causes a particular concern as this was not considered when he was arrested.

Mr. President! Millions of believers in Russia, Byelorussia, Ukraine, Moldavia and other countries, for the people of which the Russian Orthodox Church takes spiritual care, feel anxiety about police measures taken in respect to the well-known in the Orthodox world hegumen of the famed Monastery on the Holy Mountain at the time when the Orthodox Greece celebrates the Nativity of Christ.

I deem it my duty to convey our shared pain to the Head of the state of Greece and ask to release from custody Archimandrite Ephrem, abbot of the Vatopedi Monastery on the Holy Mount Athos.

With deep respect,

/+KIRILL/

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

On 17 December the pilgrims met with His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople at his working residence in Istanbul. The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople said that he is praying for the recovery of His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine and wished the prayerful intersession of St Nicholas the Wonderworker to the God-loving Ukrainian people. His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomewe gave his blessing to the Ukrainian clergymen to celebrate the Divine Liturgy at the ancient church, in which St Nicholas served as a bishop and was buried. His incorruptible relics were transferred to Bari in Italy in 1087.

On 19 December Metropolitan Onufry celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the church in the ancient Lycian town of Myra (now Demre). Concelebrating were Bishop Jonah, clergymen from Ukraine, Russia and Georgia. Special prayers were lifted up for the health of His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

That same day the delegation visited the site of the ancient town of Patara, where St Nicholas the Wonderworker was born. The pilgrims said a thanksgiving prayer and read Akathistos hymn.

On 20 December the delegation returned to Ukraine, website of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church reports.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano were initiators of the exhibition which is being held under the auspices of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in the framework of the Year of Russian Culture and Language in Italy and of Italian Culture and Language in the Russia.

The exhibition is a result of the unique cooperation between Italian and Russian experts. The Tretyakov Gallery exhibits rare monuments of Old Russian art at the Cathedral in Florence. They include “Hodegetria” Icon of the Mother of God from Pskov (13^th c.), “The Ascension of the Lord’ icon from the iconostasis of the Vladimir Cathedral of the Dormition (dated 1408 and attributed to Andrei Rublev school), and the Crucifixion of Christ by Dionysius (1500).)

Exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery for the first time are pieces by Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337): ‘Madonna and Child (late 13^th c.) from San Giorgio alla Costa and polyptych (c. 1305) from the Church of Santa Reparata.

The third part of the project is the catalogue “In Christo. Exchange of artistic and spiritual masterpieces between Russian and Italy” published in the Russian and Italian languages. Heads of the two states wrote introductions, while the theological part of the catalogue presents an article on the theology of icon in the Orthodox Church by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.

Greeting were delivered by Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Tretyakov Gallery; H.E. Antonio Dzanardi Landi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Italian Republic to the Russian Federation; Russian Minister of Culture Alexander Avdeyev; Archbishop Giuseppe Betori of Florence, and Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.

The DECR chairman noted that close cooperation between the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations and the Roman Catholic Archbishopric of Florence has played a great part in the realization of the project. ‘The exchange of the masterpieces of iconography has not only cultural, but also spiritual dimension. A wonderful opportunity is afforded to Orthodox Christians in Russia and Catholic Christians in Italy for seeing the best pieces of religious art created in spiritual traditions of Eastern and Western Christianity,’ he said.

Ensemble San Felice from Florence performed medieval hymns from the archives of Santa Maria del Fiore, including hymns in Latin sung at divine services and hymns in Italian sung during people’s processions.