DECR chairman and Archbishop of Canterbury meet at Lambeth Palace
10.09.2010
On September 9, 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, met with Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace, the official residence of the primate of the Church of England.
Participating in the meeting were Rev. Dimitry Sizonenko, DECR acting secretary for inter-Christian relations, and Rev. Jonathan Goodall, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Chaplain and Ecumenical Officer.
During their talk, Metropolitan Hilarion spoke about priorities in the missionary service of the Russian Orthodox Church and the tasks in religious education and formation of a new generation of clergy, set by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
Archbishop Rowan Williams briefly outlined the state of affairs in the Anglican Community. Metropolitan Hilarion, on his part, expressed concern felt by the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church over the further spreading of liberal tendencies in the doctrine and Christian morals, which takes the Anglican Community further away from the Tradition of the early undivided Church. The DECR chairman also expressed hope that this process may be stopped as it is not irretrievable.
In conclusion the participants in the talk discussed possible prospects for the development of bilateral relations in defending the moral tradition of society and in culture.
DECR Communication Service
