His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with state and public figures from Muslim countries.
DECR Communication service, 20.05.2023.
On 20th May His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill visited the city of Bolgar, the administrative centre of the Spassky region of the Repulic of Tatarstan.
The visit of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church to Bolgar began with the Bolgar Islamic Academy, reports the press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
The Bolgar Islamic Academy is a national Russian scholarly, theological and educational centre which was established by the leading Muslim organizations of the country (the Spiritual Directorate of Russian Muslims, the Central Spiritual Directorate of Russia’s Muslims and the Spiritual Directorate of Tatarstan Muslims). The rector of the academy is Farkhat Gusmanovich Khusnutdinov.
His Holiness the Patriarch was met at the entrance to the academy by the deputy rector for scientific research R. L. Sayakhov. The Patriarch viewed the multifunctional hall of the academy, the lecture rooms which had been equipped with multimedia technology, the computer class, the museum, the library and the laboratory for the restoration of manuscripts.
Then His Holiness met with state and public figures fr om Muslim countries who had come to Kazan to participate in the events of the economic forum organized by KazanForum-2023 and the session of the group for the strategic vision of Russia and the Islamic world.
The Primate of the Russian Church greeted the chairman of the Central Spiritual Directorate of Russia’s Muslims mufti sheikh al Islam Talgat Hasrat Tajuddin.
The introductory speech was given by member of the Federation Council and deputy chairman of the group for the strategic vision of Russia and the Islamic world F. M. Muhametshin, who also introduced the participants of the meeting.
His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill also delivered a speech to those present.
Speaking later at the meeting were: Ahmed bin Mohammed al Djarvan, president of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace; Hamid Havali Shahriyari, general secretary of the World Organization for the Consolidation of Madhhabs (Iran); Izzat Saad, director of the Egyptian Council for International Affairs (former governor of the province of Luxor and former ambassador of Egypt to the Russian Federation); Din Shamsuddin, chairman of the Global Centre for Moderate Islam (Indonesia); Sulaimon Pirhon Davlatzoda, chairman of the Committee for Religious Affairs, Traditions, Feasts and Rituals under the government of the Republic of Tatarstan; the supreme mufti sheikh al Islam hazrat Tajuddin, chairman of the Central Spiritual Directorate of Russia’s Muslims.
Taking part in the meeting on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church were: the chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchy the metropolitan of Voskresensk Dionysius; the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations the metropolitan of Volokolamsk Anthony; the metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan Cyril; the chairman of the Synodal Department for Public Relations and the Media Vladimir Legoida; and deputy chairman of the DECR archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov).
Also attending the meeting were: the deputy head of the Russian Presidential Administration for Home Affairs A. Yu. Vylegzhanin; the head of the Department for Interaction with Religious Organizations under the Russian Presidential Administration for Home Affairs Ye. V. Yeremin; the deputy head of the Department for Interaction with Religious Organizations under the Russian Presidential Administration for Home Affairs A. R. Faizullin; the deputy leader of the administration of the Rais of Tatarstan and head of the Department of the Rais of Tatarstan on Home Affairs R. R. Muharlyamov; and the deputy chairman of the State Council of Tatarstan Yu. Z. Kamaltynov.
At the conclusion of the meeting His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said:
“I would like to convey my heartfelt gratitude to the organizers and all participants of this meeting. A small group of people, but how much was said that was true and sincere, giving much food for thought and warming the heart!
In a world wh ere there are so many contradictions, conflicts and intolerance, Orthodox Christians encounter Muslims and bear witness to the fact that they share a common view of what is happening. This communality has a meaning that transcends dialogue between Orthodox Christians and Muslims because we are sending a clear message to the world. When people are divided, when they are ready to go to war with one another, we who recognize the Lord God, we who see in each other believing people, have the chance and the power to utter words which can have an influence on what is happening in the world. And may God grant that our dialogue be expanded so that it includes even more Christians and Muslims and that our common position be heard all the more convincingly.
I express my heartfelt thanks to you all for this opportunity to be together with you, to listen to your words of wisdom, and I hope that similar such meetings will continue.”
The meeting’s participants presented His Holiness gifts as a reminder of the event.