Home page News
President Dmitry Medvedev meets with Patriarch Kirill a…

President Dmitry Medvedev meets with Patriarch Kirill and bishops, clergy and church public

[gallery]
On November 5, after his visit to the 10th Church-public Exhibition-Forum ‘Orthodox Rus. Towards the Day of the People’s Unity’, President Dmitry Medvedev met with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and representatives of the episcopate, clergy and laity of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Manezh Central Exhibition Hall.

Participating in the meeting were representatives of the church public from many dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church including heads and staff of Synodal departments and charities, as well as Sunday school teachers and pupils, students of secular and church educational institutions, representatives of monastic communities and Orthodox youth organizations, lay activists, cultural figures, scientists and artists.

The head of the state addressed the patriarch and the assembly, saying, ‘Today, thanks to our joint work and the efforts of His Holiness the Patriarch the Church maintains successful cooperation with governmental structures and public institutions. In the recent years, we have managed to carry out several very important initiatives’. One of these initiatives, the president said, was the teaching of Basic Orthodox Culture. ‘In the last two years, beginning from the fourth term of the academic year 2009-2010, the values and traditions of Orthodoxy has begun to be taught to children in almost 10 schools in 221 regions of our country. Next year, the basics of religious culture will be taught in all the constituent regions of our state. Perhaps there are difficulties and nuances of its own, but the decision has been made and it is implemented. And the most important thing is that it is beneficial’, President Medvedev stressed.

‘Our state, which is secular in nature, is interested in involving the Church in the education of both children and youth, in setting new examples for emulation, and in supporting the defenders of our homeland. I have to admit that our traditional national values have always been the foundation for having an inter-ethnic peace and inter-confessional accord maintained in our multinational country. I am confident that it will continue to be so and for this reason I would like to thank all those present here for what you have done to maintain peace in our country and to promote the consolidation of spiritual principles in our society’, President Medvedev said.

Patriarch Kirill spoke in response. Then representatives of the Church asked the Russian President questions about urgent problems of relations between church and state.

Patriarchal Press Service/DECR Communication Service

Share:
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with Honorary Chair of Japan’s Sasakawa Peace Foundation

21.09.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill takes part in the closing ceremony of VIII Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions

18.09.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with religious leaders on the sidelines of the Congress in Astana

18.09.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem

17.09.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with Russia’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Alexey Borodavkin

17.09.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill speaks at the opening of the VIII Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions

17.09.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill sends greetings to Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on his 75th birthday

17.09.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

17.09.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with the Ambassador of Turkey to Russia

02.09.2025

Visit of Deans of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa to Russia concludes

01.09.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with delegation of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa

27.08.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates All-Night Vigil in Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on the eve of Dormition

27.08.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill congratulates MGIMO rector Anatoly Torkunov on his 75th birthday

26.08.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill holds prayer service ahead of Russia-US Presidents' meeting in Alaska

15.08.2025

Meeting of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill with the President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic takes place

30.07.2025

DECR chairman concludes his visit to Northern Iraq

02.10.2025

Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk meets with Hierarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church

01.10.2025

DECR Chairman meets in Erbil with Director for the Preservation of Assyrian Cultural Heritage

01.10.2025

Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk meets Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan

30.09.2025

Metropolitan Anthony meets with Russia’s Consul General in Erbil

29.09.2025

Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk meets with the Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East

29.09.2025

DECR chairman meets with Minister of Endowment and Religious Affairs of Kurdistan Region of Iraq

29.09.2025

Metropolitan Anthony meets with the Head of the Council of Ulema of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

29.09.2025

DECR Chairman meets with representatives of Christian communities of Iraq

28.09.2025

Metropolitan Anthony meets with the Head of the Department of Foreign Relations of the Kurdistan Regional Government

28.09.2025

Metropolitan Anthony takes part in the Assyrian Church of the East Conference dedicated to the First Ecumenical Council

28.09.2025

DECR Chairman meets with the Primate and Members of the Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East

28.09.2025

Visit of the DECR Chairman to Northern Iraq begins

28.09.2025

Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolasmk leads patronal celebrations at the Church of the Renewal of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Danilovskaya Sloboda

26.09.2025

DECR chairman meets with Israel’s ambassador to Russia

25.09.2025

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