Department for External Church Relations
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His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with episcopate of Orthodox Church of Moldova
On May 16, 2021, His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, met with the episcopate of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, at the Cathedral Church of Christ the Saviour.
Participating in the meeting with His Holiness were eight hierarchs of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, who on that day had concelebrated with the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Divine Liturgy, namely the whole episcopate of this self-governed Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, including Metropolitan Vladimir of Kishinev and All Moldova, Archbishop Savva of Tiraspol and Dubossary, Archbishop Anatoly of Cahul and Comrat, Archbishop Peter of Ungheni and Nisporeni, Archbishop Markell of Bălți and Făleşti, Archbishop Nikodim of Edineţ and Briceni, Bishop Ioann of Soroca, and Bishop Siluan of Orhei.
They were joined by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations; Metropolitan Dionisy of Voskresensk, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; and Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman.
Greeting the participants in the meeting, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill congratulated the hierarchs awarded during the Divine Liturgy and wished them God’s help and success in their ministry.
‘It is important that we should meet from time to time because, as parts of the one Church praying for each other and celebrating the Eucharist, we are still divided by a certain distance. And the circumstances of our life have not always been calm and peaceful’, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church noted.
‘We are aware of how the enemy of the human race has sown the seeds of division, to what grave consequences all this has led. Suffice it to look at the situation in Ukraine: artificially created schisms, divisions, dividing walls, clashes between those who often reside in the territory of the same parish!’ - His Holiness continued, ‘I receive weekly reports about violations of the law, suffering endured by people because of these divisions. You may know as well as I do that it often comes to violence, beating, struggle for churches’.
His Holiness Kirill emphasized that the church division in Ukraine is an intentionally and artificially provoked conflict.
However, he said, the church people are keenly aware of the pernicious temptations and reject them. ‘Our canonical Church is in no way belittled, nor does she become weaker, as new parishes and monasteries are opening, the number of bishops is increasing. Nevertheless, the division has certainly brought real suffering to people’, the Primate of the Russian Church stated.
In the course of a long fraternal talk, His Holiness underlined the importance of the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church, of which the Self-Governed Orthodox Church of Moldova is an integral part, and thanked her primate, Metropolitan Vladimir, as well as her bishops, clergy and devout faithful for their efforts for preserving the integrity of the Church and her canonical order. They discussed a wide range of issues concerning the life of Orthodoxy in Moldova and the topic of pastoral care for the Moldavian diaspora outside the country. They also outlined the necessary steps to be taken for improving internal church cooperation and communication.
Patriarchal Press Service
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