News Bulletin
From the Press Office of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, together with Protopriest Igor Yakimchuck and Fr. Anatoly Churyakov of the DECR, during their visit to the Phanar on Tuesday, September 19, 2017.

The meeting was also attended by Metropolitan Emmanuel of France and Metropolitan Bartholomew of Smyrna, Acting Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod. During their discussions, Metropolitan Hilarion conveyed an invitation from His Beatitude Patriarch Kirill of Moscow to His All-Holiness, requesting the honor of his presence in Moscow during the first week of December for a series of events marking the 100-year Anniversary of the October Revolution, as well as the beginning of persecutions against the Church, the convening of the Synod of 1917, and the restoration of the Patriarchal institution 200 years after its abolishment. The Ecumenical Patriarch thanked Metropolitan Hilarion, informing him that a response to the invitation is currently under review and was discussed during the last session of the Holy and Sacred Synod. Furthermore, both sides extensively discussed the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church that took place in Crete, June 2016, as well as other bilateral and pan-Orthodox matters.