Department for External Church Relations
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Metropolitan Hilarion arrives in Dnepropetrovsk
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On 30 March 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for external church relations, arrived in Dnepropetrovsk with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and at the invitation of Metropolitan Iriney of Dnepropetrovsk and Pavlograd.
The DECR chairman was met at the airport by Metropolitan Iriney; Bishop Evlogy of Novomoskovsk; head of the 'Letvitsa' Centre of Orthodox culture archpriest Igor Sobko; deputy head of the Regional Council A. Shipko; and deputy chairman of the Regional state administration Ye.Borodin.
The archpastors proceeded to the Diocesan administration and visited the Church of the holy martyr Irenaeus of Lyon.
Press conference with participation of the DECR chairman and Metropolitan Iriney took place at the Dnepropetrovsk diocese's press centre.
The journalists were interested in the reform of church education. In his answer, Metropolitan Hilarion underscored that the main objective of the reform was to bring the system of religious education in conformity with modern international standards.
The DECR chairman believes that the primary task of theological school consists in teaching students to think independently and work with the sources in addition to giving them knowledge in certain subjects. "However, the most important thing in theological education is the education of the human person. Therefore, not only the working plans should be elaborated, by the system of education, too. It should be brought to conformity with the demands of modern young people," His Eminence continued.
Regarding a new Catechism of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion remarked that a working plan had been outlined, working groups set up, and the texts were being written. "The next stage would be a discussion of that what would be written by theologians and hierarchs to be followed by consideration of a draft Catechism by the Bishops' Council."
A schism of Orthodoxy in Ukraine was another topic of press conference. Metropolitan Hilarion said that 'schism has gone out of fashion."
"People in the country are inclined to consolidation rather than on separation. The schismatics are beginning to understand that schism is a way to nowhere. Schism brings no hope or prospects neither to people or community. Therefore, people, who by this or that reason found themselves outside the church fold, will return to it, and many have already returned," the DECR chairman underscored and called all children of the canonical Church in Ukraine to treat people who are in schism with fraternal love and do anything possible to make their return to the Church as easy as possible.
A luncheon attended by the archpastors and the chairman of the Regional Council Yu. Vilkula took place at the Regional Council after the press conference.
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