Hierarchical Liturgy served in Pokrov Church of Harbin for first time in half a century

The Chinese Orthodox Church English Translation by Katherine Ilachinski On June 24, 2012, the day when Orthodox Christians in China celebrate the memory of two hundred twenty-two Chinese martyrs who suffered for Christ in 1900, Metropolitan Hilarion, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of Moscow Patriarchate, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Holy Protection Church in Harbin City. Archbishop Hilarion was in China on an official visit with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and at the invitation of China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA)