Patriarchal Exarch for Southeast Asia visits DPRK
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On November 25-29, 2019, a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by Metropolitan Sergy of Singapore and Southeast Asia, Patriarchal Exarch for Southeast Asia, visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Meeting Metropolitan Sergy and his suite at Sunan airport on November 25 were chairman of the DPRK Association of the Faithful Mr. Kang Ji Young; chairman of the DPRK Orthodox Committee Mr. Victor You Young Ryoung; H.E. Alexander Matsegora, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the DPRK; Russian diplomats accredited in Pyongyang; and clerics of the church in the capital city.
On November 26, the commemoration day of St. John Chrysostom, Metropolitan Sergy and Bishop Foma of Pavlovsky Posad, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administrative Secretariat celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Trinity in Pyongyang. Concelebrating were hieromonk Pitirim (Dodenko), secretary of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia; Archpriest Sergy Yakutov, rector of the Church of the Intercession in the city of Ussuriisk; Rev. Vladimir Jang and deacons Pavel Park and Georgy Yong.
Among those attending the service were Mr. Victor You Yong Ryoung; Ambassador Matsegora, Mr. Dmitry Petrovsky of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; and compatriots residing in the DPRK, many of whom took the Holy Communion.
The delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church met with the deputy chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly Mr.Park Young Il; chairman of the Association of the Faithful Mr. Kang Ji Young; chairman of the Orthodox Committee Mr. Victor You Young Ryoung; and other officials.
Metropolitan Sergy and members of the delegation laid flowers at the Liberation Monument erected to honour Red Army soldiers on Morabong Hill and at the memorial plague dedicated to the Hero of Russia Andrei Karlov, Russian ambassador to the DPRK in 2001-2006.
The delegation headed by Metropolitan Sergy visited social institutions, had a sightseeing tour of the capital city, visited the city of Kaesong, the ancient capital of Goryeo, and the village of Panmunjŏm in the Demilitarized Zone, the 38th parallel, where the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed after the war of 1950-53.
On November 29, Metropolitan Sergy and members of the delegation departed from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.