Department for External Church Relations
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First meeting held in 2021 by Presidential Council for International Cooperation’s commission for interaction with religious associations
On April 9, 2021, the Commission for International Cooperation of the Presidential Council for Interaction with Religious Associations held its sixth and this year the first meeting, at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations (DECR).
The meeting, chaired by head of the Commission Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, DECR chairman, was attended by Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Patriarchal Vicar of the Diocese of Moscow; Mr. A. Tretyakov, adviser of the Presidential Office for Domestic Policy and executive secretary of the Council (vice-chairman of the Commission); Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman; Archbishop Dietrich Brauer, archbishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Russia; Albir Krganov, Mufti of the Moslem Assembly in Russia, Mr. M. Bryukhanov, deputy head of Rossotrudnichestvo, as well as other members of the Commission and invited officials.
Metropolitan Hilarion made introductory remarks informing the meeting about the changes that took place in the Commission’s membership. The DECR chairman also congratulated Andrey V. Tretyakov on his appointment as vice-chairman of the Commission and wished him God’s help in his work.
During the meeting, Metropolitan Hilarion made a report on the preparation of a World Conference on Interreligious and Inter-Cultural Dialogue timed to the 20th anniversary of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development established by the UN General Assembly. It is planned to hold it in May 2022 in Moscow.
Discussing the convening of the Moscow international forum, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna shared his own experience of preparation and conduct of similar events. The archpastor informed the meeting about the World Interreligious Conference for Lasting Peace and Disarmament, which took place under his leadership in 1977 in Moscow. Its results proved to be very important for further dialogue among various countries, religious and peoples.
The participants pointed out to the need for thorough work to be carried out in preparation for the Moscow forum.
In the course of the meeting, remarks were delivered by Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, DECR secretary for the affaires of the far-abroad diaspora and secretary of the Commission, who spoke about challenges to traditional morality and values brought in the Western world.
Then A. Tretyakov, vice-chairman of the Commission spoke on the plans for the future work of the collegiate working body and the topics of the next meetings.
Concluding the meeting, Metropolitan Hilarion wished those present blessed successes in their further work.
DECR Communication Service
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