Patriarch Kirill to give a new impulse to inter-Orthodox relations – Bishop Hilarion

“I believe new Patriarch will give a new start to inter-Orthodox relations and participation of the Russian Church in them,” Bishop Hilarion has told Interfax-Religion on Wednesday.

According to him, it has already become apparent during meetings of the newly elected Patriarch with primates and representatives of the local Orthodox Churches, who participated in his enthronement. The hierarch pointed out that Patriarch Kirill “has good and friendly relations with almost all heads of the local Orthodox Churches,” as he worked in the field of external church relations for twenty years.

“Personal friendship in combination with distinct vision of inter-Orthodox problems characteristic of Patriarch Kirill is a keystone of giving a new life to the mechanism of inter-Orthodox cooperation that recently glitched,” the Bishop said. He believes, the very fact that primates and representatives of all 15 local Churches attended the Moscow Patriarch’s enthronement “appears very significant.”

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