Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Visits Alexandria

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk, head of external affairs for the Moscow Patriarchate, has paid a brief visit to Pope Theodore II (Horeftakis) at the seat of the Alexandria Patriarchate to discuss relations between the Alexandrian and Russian Orthodox Churches. Participating in the discussions were papal auxiliary Bishops Gabriel of Mareotis and Nicodemus of Nitria

Following his time with the Alexandrian Orthodox pope Metropolitan Hilarion remained in Alexandria to visit the Coptic Orthodox Monastery of St. Mark, which enshrines part of the saint's relics. More here.

Harbin Church Hosts Russian Orthodox Metropolitan

For the first time in fifty years Holy Protection Church in Harbin, Manchuria, has had hierarchical services, celebrated on the feast of the Holy New Martyrs of China by Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk of the Russian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Hilarion stopped at the Harbin parish as part of his ongoing visit to China on behalf of Patriarch Cyril (Gundyayev) of Moscow. More here.


Since the death of its rector in 2001 Holy Protection Church has been without regular services despite being one of the only remaining parishes in China outside of Hong Kong allowed to operate by the Chinese government. In the fall two members of the Harbin parish will begin theological studies in Russia to prepare to serve the Chinese Orthodox Church.

Czechoslovak Orthodox Church Marks 60 Years of Autocephaly in Prague

The Czechoslovak Orthodox Church has marked the 60th anniversary of its autocephaly, observing the anniversary this past Thursday with celebratory services led by Metropolitan Krystof (Pulec) of Prague and concelebrated by Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk and other hierarchs of the Czechoslovak and Polish Orthodox Churches. More here.

The Orthodox Church in the Czech and Slovak Republics was initially under the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church, but gained its autocephaly from the Russian Orthodox Church following World War II.

Roman Catholic Pope, Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Meet at Castel Gandolfo

As part of his recent visit to Italy Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk met with Pope Benedict XVI of Rome to discuss relations between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. The meeting took place with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow. More here.

Palestinian President Meets with Visiting Russian Orthodox Metropolitan

As part of his ongoing visit to the Holy Land Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) has met with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in the West Bank city of Ramallah. During their meeting the two discussed relations between Palestine and the Russian Orthodox Church and the ongoing political developments in the Middle East. Archimandrite Isidore (Minayev), head of the patriarchal Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, and the representative of the Russian Federation to the PNA also participated in the meeting. More here.

Metropolitan Hilarion Visits the Holy Land

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has begun a visit to the Holy Land. As part of his stay in the Holy Land Metropolitan Hilarion met with Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem to discuss issues concerning relations between the Jerusalemite and Russian Orthodox Churches as well as the Local Orthodox Churches generally. After his stop at the Jerusalem Patriarchate Metropolitan Hilarion went on to visit the seat of the patriarchal Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem at the Holy City's Cathedral of the Trinity, where he met with Archbishop Aris (Shirvanian), who serves as director of ecumenical and foreign relations for the autonomous Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. More here, here, and here.

Ecumenical Patriarch, Metropolitan Hilarion Meet in Turkey

The Russian Orthodox Church's Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has visited Turkey to meet with Patriarch Bartholomew (Arhondonis) of Constantinople. After meeting with the ecumenical patriarch in Constantinople and visiting the city's Cathedral of St. George Metropolitan Hilarion proceeded to Patriarch Bartholomew's native island of Imbros, where the two met with local clergy and visited the island's metropolitan cathedral. More here.

Patriarch Ignatius IV, Metropolitan Hilarion Meet in Damascus

Patriarch Ignatios IV (Hazim) of the Antiochian Orthodox Church received Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk earlier today at the seat of the Antioch Patriarchate in Damascus, Syria, to discuss relations between the Antiochian and Russian Orthodox Churches and issues concerning world Orthodoxy as a whole. The two also discussed the ongoing unrest in Syria and other countries in the Middle East before Metropolitan Hilarion's departure for Constantinople. More (in Russian) here.

Montenegrin Metropolitan Rejects Government Commitment Dialogue as Farcical

The head of the Orthodox Church in Montenegro, Metropolitan Amfilohije (Radovic), has condemned the Montenegrin government's commitment to dialogue over the issue of church unity in Montenegro as a farce, noting that in the aftermath of the recent visit of the Russian Orthodox Church's Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) leaders in the Montenegrin government began denouncing the latter's statements on the canonicity of the Church of Montenegro as attacks on Montenegro's sovereignty. More (in Serbian) here.

Metropolitan Hilarion Suggests Self-Government for Orthodox Church in Montenegro

It has emerged that during his recent Montenegro visit the Russian Orthodox Church's Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk suggested to Metropolitan Amfilohije (Radovic) of Cetinje that he should request some sort of self-governing status from the Serbian Orthodox Church for the Orthodox Church in Montenegro to help reduce the tensions between itself and the Montenegrin government. More here.

Metropolitan Hilarion Begins Visit to Serbia, Montenegro

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has begun a 3-day visit to Serbia and Montenegro, meeting with Patriarch Irinej (Gavrilovich) of Pech, members of the lesser Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the Serbian minister of foreign affairs shortly after his arrival today in Belgrade. More on that here.

During his visit to Montenegro Metropolitan Hilarion is expected to work to reconcile the Montenegrin government with the Orthodox Church in Montenegro, with meetings scheduled with the Montenegrin president and prime minister and with Metropolitan Amfilohije (Radovic) of Cetinje. More on that here.

Patriarch Daniel, Metropolitan Hilarion Meet in Bucharest

As part of his recent visit to Romania Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has met with Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church at the seat of the Bucharest Patriarchate in the Romanian capital. During their lengthy meeting the hierarchs discussed issues in relations between the Local Orthodox Churches as well as the existing problems in relations between the Russian and Romanian Orthodox Churches, in particularly the activities of the schismatic Metropolitanate of Chisinau and Bessarabia on the canonical territories of the Moldovan and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches. More here and here.

Metropolitan Hilarion Concludes Paraguay Visit

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has concluded his visit to Paraguay. On his Sunday in the country Metropolitan Hilarion concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with Metropolitan Platon of Buenos Aires not in one of the Paraguayan capital's Russian Orthodox churches (of which there are at least three), but rather in its Roman Catholic cathedral. More here and here.

Metropolitan Hilarion Begins Paraguay Visit

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has begun his visit to Paraguay, being welcomed to the South American nation's capital by Metropolitan Platon (Udovenko) of Buenos Aires of the Russian Orthodox Church and Paraguayan officials. During his stay in Paraguay Metropolitan Hilarion will be visiting the country's Russian Orthodox parishes, meeting with Paraguayan and Russian officials, and delivering a lecture at the Catholic University of Paraguay. More here.

Metropolitan Hilarion Holds Press Conference on Proposed Slavonic Reform

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has given a press conference on the subject of the impending updating of Slavonic, the primary liturgical language of the Russian Orthodox Church, at the request of Russian journalists.

During the press conference Metropolitan Hilarion noted the efforts of the Church prior to the Bolshevik Revolution to begin a revision of the Slavonic used in the service books to make it more comprehensible and the need for this to be undertaken today. He also, however, denied that a need existed for the services to be translated into modern Russian, saying both that they would still be difficult to understand at points and that such a translation could cause a schism like that of the Old Believers in the 17th century.

More on the press conference and Metropolitan Hilarion's statements can be found here.

Metropolitan Hilarion Visits Cyprus, Meets with Archbishop Chrysostomos

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has begun a visit to Cyprus, visiting various Cypriot Orthodox holy places and meeting with Archbishop Chrysostomos II (Demetriou) of Nea Justiniana to discuss relations between the Russian and Cypriot Orthodox Churches. More (in Russian) here.

Metropolitan Hilarion Meets with Archbishop Jerome, Participates in Orthodox-Catholic Commission

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has begun another visit to Greece, meeting with Archbishop Jerome II (Liapis) of Athens in the Greek capital to discuss relations between the Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches before proceeding to Crete to participate in a meeting of the working group of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. More here.

Metropolitan Hilarion Meets with Pope Theodore, al-Azhar Grand Imam

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has begun a visit to Egypt. After meeting with the rector of the Russian Orthodox representation in Cairo and the Russian ambassador to Egypt Metropolitan Hilarion held meetings with Pope Theodoros II (Horeftakis) of Alexandria and Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb of Cairo's al-Azhar University to discuss relations between the Alexandrian and Russian Orthodox Churches and the situation of Egypt's Orthodox Christians in the country.

Pictured are Pope Theodoros and Metropolitan Hilarion with papal auxiliaries Bishops Niphon of Babylon and Nicodemus of Nitria.

Metropolitan Hilarion Meets with Representatives of Church and State in Hungary

During a visit to Budapest for an interreligious conference Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk of the Russian Orthodox Church met with the primate of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary and the Hungarian prime minister to discuss the possibilities for cooperation between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches in Hungary and the European Union in the defense of 'family values.' More (in Russian) here.

Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic Representatives Meet in Warsaw

As part of his ongoing visit to Poland Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk of the Russian Orthodox Church has met with representatives of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland and the Vatican. The meeting was held with the hope of promoting the reconciliation of the Polish and Russian peoples and to discuss issues on which the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches can make a common stand. More (in Russian) here.