Home page News
Patriarch Kirill meets with Palestine’s President Mahmo…

Patriarch Kirill meets with Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas

On March 15, 2013, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas at his residence in the St. Daniel Monastery.

 

Participating in the meeting from the Russian Orthodox Church were also Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, Archbishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s office for institutions abroad, Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk, chairman of the financial and economic department, Hegumen Philaret (Bulekov), a DECR vice-chairman, Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, DECR secretary for the far-abroad countries, and M. Palacio, DECR secretariat for the far-abroad countries.

 

President Mahmoud Abbas was accompanied by Palestine’s Ambassador to Russia Faed Mustafa, Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki and a number of other high-ranking officials.

 

The Russian Foreign Ministry was represented by A. Rudakov, representative of the Russian Federation to the Palestinian National Administration.

 

Patriarch Kirill welcomed Mr. Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation, noting that such meetings already became a good tradition.

 

Addressing the President of Palestine, His Holiness said, ‘A very important event has taken place since our last meeting: on November 29, 2012, the UN granted Palestine the status of observer state. I am delighted to ascertain that you have made a great progress on the international arena and to congratulate you on it’.

 

Speaking about the situation in the Middle East, especially in Syria, His Holiness described it as a humanitarian disaster. ‘Tens and hundreds of people die every day. Thousands of Syrian citizens have lost their jobs; many have fled Syria. We know about a great number of refugees who leave for neighbouring countries and to Russia. It is certainly impossible to accept this state of affairs’, he said, stressing that if the stress continues to be made on the use of force in this domestic Syrian conflict, it can entail terrible consequences.

 

Patriarch Kirill said it was his profound conviction that the hostilities in Syria should be immediately stopped; otherwise the whole country can be destroyed. ‘All those who are sitting now at this table, both on your and our side, remember Syria as a thriving country. Nowadays, what television shows reminds us of pictures of the Stalingrad Battle. Therefore it is necessary to stop the hostilities as soon as possible and to begin a negotiation process. I would like to say once again that what is at stake is the survival of a nation and culture including historical monuments’, he added.

 

He also spoke about the Christian presence in the Middle East, stating that Christians are leaving even the countries in which there are no hostilities. ‘In some sense, it is a historical civilizational catastrophe. Christianity originated in the Middle East. It is our cradle and the beginning of Christian culture’, he said.

 

His Holiness spoke highly of the contribution made by the Palestinian leaders in creating conditions for Christian life in Palestine, where the equal rights of Muslims and Christians are not only fixed legally but also implemented in practice. ‘In Palestine there are no threats to the life and welfare of Christians, and in this sense it stands out as compared to other countries in the Middle East. However, in face of external circumstances, Christians are leaving your country as well’, Patriarch Kirill said and asked Mr. Abbas to do all that is possible to prevent the outflow of the Christian population from at least the Palestinian state, so that peaceful and mutually respectful cooperation between Muslims and Christians could continue in Palestine.

 

Speaking about the Palestinian-Israeli problem, Patriarch Kirill emphasized that ‘the Russian Church has taken a firm peace stand. We stand for a peaceful and just settlement of this problem and we are ready to support your initiatives and the initiatives of the other side aimed at achieving peace and justice in this region of the globe, so special for the believer, both Christian, Muslim and Jew’.

 

‘For us, this issue becomes even more important because of an ever growing inflow of pilgrims coming to the Holy Land from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries under the pastoral care of the Russian Orthodox Church’, His Holiness said and expressed hope that in the future the faithful of the Moscow Patriarchate will continue to be given a warm welcome in Palestine.

 

President Abbas thanked Patriarch Kirill for the hospitality and noted that he was glad to come to Moscow again. ‘This visit is a confirmation of the special relations binding Palestine and the Russian Orthodox Church and Palestine and Russia on the whole’, he said. He also thanked Patriarch Kirill for the congratulation on Palestine’s status of UN observer state.

 

‘I and the all the Palestine people remember with pleasure your visit to Bethlehem, which brought a great joy to the Christian and Muslim population. We view Christians not as a minority but as a foundation of our state’, Mr. Abbas said.

 

He also said that he shared the concern expressed by the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church over the situation in Syria. ‘The situation in the country has not stabilized; on the contrary, it has become worse. The only way of settling the Syrian crisis is a peace decision which will allow all the representatives of the Syrian people to sit down at the negotiation table and to find a way out which would satisfy all the sections of the society. The continuation of hostilities will not benefit anyone. We are ready to help the Syrian people to find a way out of the present crisis’, Mr. Abbas said.

 

Patriarch Kirill awarded President Abbas the highest order of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society – the Bethlehem Star.

 

DECR Communication Service

Photos by the Patriarchal Press Service

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