News

Archbishop Hilarion shares with Pope his concern about Orthodox dioceses in Ukraine destroyed by the Uniates

Moscow, September 21, Interfax - During a talk with Pope Benedict XVI, Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk pointed out the status of Orthodox believers in Western Ukraine where three Orthodox dioceses had been almost eliminated as a result of coercive actions of Greek Catholics in late 1980s and early 1990s.

The communication service of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations reports that Archbishop Hilarion "stated the need to take practical steps to improve the situation in Western Ukraine," within the territories of Lvov, Ternopol and Invano-Frankovsk Dioceses.

During an hour meeting held Friday in the Pope's residence in Castel Gandolfo, the parties discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral relations between the Russian Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches.

Archbishop Hilarion highlighted the importance of mutual testimony by Orthodox and Catholic believers of traditional Christian values before the secular world. He noted the identiсal views of the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches on such matters as family, maternity, demographic crisis, euthanasia and many other ethical problems.

Archbishop stated that there were certain significant differences on these matters between the Orthodox and the Catholics, on the one hand, as well as with different Protestant communities which had pursued the liberalization of the Christian teaching.

In this context, the cooperation between the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches to develop a mutual position on the above matters gains specific meaning, Archbishop Hilarion believes.

Archbishop Hilarion and Pope Benedict XVI discussed the challenges and prospects of the theological dialogue between the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches.
In closing of the meeting, which was reportedly conducted with meaningful understanding, the parties discussed the prospects of cooperation between the two Churches on cultural matters, in particular, holding the Days of Russian Religious Culture in Rome in spring of 2010.

Archbishop Hilarion presented the Pope with a pectoral cross made in the workshops of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Print this page

Home

News

.	Customize latest news

• Russia puts Jehovah's Witnesses on prohibited organization list 17 August 2017, 14:10
• Vatican secretary of state to hold talks in Russia 17 August 2017, 13:14
• Vatican secretary of state won't discuss prospects for pope's Russia visit in Moscow - Russian Catholic official 17 August 2017, 12:33
• Increase of number of repatriates from Russia to Israel unrelated to actual relocation – FJCR 17 August 2017, 10:00
• Russian Jews call on Trump to suppress anti-Semitic outbreaks in U.S. 16 August 2017, 19:29
• State Duma dubs U.S. Dept of State's report on oppression of religious minorities in Russia as unprofessional 16 August 2017, 10:11
• Russia tops list of countries by emigration to Israel 16 August 2017, 10:07
• Patriarch Kirill, Vatican state secretary to discuss Ukraine situation 16 August 2017, 10:00
• Number of Russian Muslims to undertake hajj increases by 3,000, to 23,500 people, this year 11 August 2017, 13:38
• Priest from Yevpatoria asks to set up a nudist beach in Crimea 10 August 2017, 10:51
• March of the Living to be held in Rostov region to commemorate Jews massacred by Nazi 09 August 2017, 10:00
• Erdogan to attend OIC summit in Astana 08 August 2017, 15:09
• Protestant pastor jailed for 3 years for extremism in Tajikistan 08 August 2017, 10:17
• Priest detained in Vitebsk brothel to be temporary banned from ministry - Russian Orthodox Church 08 August 2017, 10:14
• Russian Jews appalled by reproaches of trying to monetize Holocaust tragedy 08 August 2017, 10:00
• Head of Russian old believers does not believe in overcoming schism with the Moscow Patriarchate 07 August 2017, 13:53
• Over 100 Georgian prisoners imprisoned in Istanbul demand to set up a corner for prayers 07 August 2017, 11:12
• Russian MP congratulates Georgian patriarch on his name day in Tbilisi – media 04 August 2017, 12:15
• Govt prioritizes stronger inter-ethnic, inter-religious accord – Putin 03 August 2017, 15:23
• FJCR President welcomes law on the Victory Day adopted by the knesset 28 July 2017, 14:10
• Kremlin receives no notice from Kadyrov on readiness to resign as Chechnya head to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque 28 July 2017, 13:26
• Kadyrov suggests holy sites on Temple Mount be returned under Jordan's control 28 July 2017, 10:31
• Israeli ambassador to Russia hopes Moscow to support security measures on Jerusalem's Temple Mount 26 July 2017, 18:19
• Russia could assume role in resolving conflict around Temple Mount in Jerusalem - Palestinian ambassador 26 July 2017, 17:12
• Israel commits to preserve full access to holy places in Jerusalem - ambassador to Russia 26 July 2017, 17:07
• FJCR convinced that scandal surrounding Temple Mount is anti-Semites' work 25 July 2017, 18:38
• Almost 80% of Russians approve of Jehovah's Witnesses ban in country – poll 25 July 2017, 10:00
• A total of 182,000 believers go on pilgrimage to Nicholas the Wonderworker's relics in St. Pete over past week 20 July 2017, 18:03
• LGBT problem doesn't exist in Chechnya - Russian envoy to OSCE 20 July 2017, 10:05
• Washington urges Russia to lift ban on Jehovah's Witnesses' activities 20 July 2017, 10:00

Other news