Metropolitan Hilarion completes his visit to Mt. Athos by celebrating Divine Liturgy at St. Paul's Monastery

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On 29 October 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, who visited the Holy Mountain of Athos with the blessing of is Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, celebrated Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Presentation of the Lord into the Temple at St. Paul's Monastery.

The monastery was founded by St. Paul, a son of emperor Michael Kuropalat, in the 10^th century. The holy objects include a precious cross with a particle of the Life-Giving Cross, the relics of St. Maximus the Confessor, Ss Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, and a folding icon that belonged to St. Constantine the Great, Equal-to-the-Apostles. Several monks from the Russian Orthodox Church are living at the monastery.

Concelebrating with Metropolitan Hilarion were members of the official delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church: Archbishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad, abbot of the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius; Archbishop Antony of Borispol, rector of the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary; Bishop Feofilakt of Bryansk and Sevsk; archpriest Vladimir Kotsaba, secretary of the Academic Board of the Kiev Theological Academy; Rev. Dimitry Ageyev and hierodeacon Ioann (Kopeikin), assistants to the DECR chairman; Rev. Mikhail Asmus and Rev. Ioann Guaita, , DECR staff members; hierodeacon Foma (Demchuk) of the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius; and archimandrite Parthenius, hegumen of St. Paul's monastery, with the brethren.

After the divine service, the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church shared repast with the brethren. On behalf of his companions and on his own behalf Metropolitan Hilarion thanked all the Athonite monks in the person of the hegumen and the brethren for hospitality and common prayers.

The delegation departed for homeland from Salonika. Consul general of the Russian Federation A. Popov saw the pilgrims off.

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Metropolitan Hilarion completes his visit to Mt. Athos by celebrating Divine Liturgy at St. Paul's Monastery

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons