Bulletin:Ecumenical Patriarch Tells Patriarch Kirill Autocephaly for Ukraine Is Our Decision to Make

According to a number of sources,on 31 August 2018,His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with Ecumencial Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople for two and a half hours in a brotherly spirit at the Phanar,the Patriarchal enclave in Istanbul.Accompanied only by a translator and His Eminence Metropolitan Ilarion of Volokolamsk,Chairman of the Department of External Church Relations,he spoke privately with Patriarch Bartholomew and His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France.
In the course of the meeting,Patriarch Kirill suggested holding a scientific conference to reveal the sources of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's decision to grant autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.He also suggested a dialogue on the topic.
Patriarch Bartholomew stood firm:
Thank you,but the decision on autocephaly was the Ecumenical Patriarchate's to make and they are moving forward with it.
In the event,the small delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church left immediately after the talks,foregoing a dinner invitation.They made no statement.*
Metropolitan Emmanuel of France reportedly said that the decision was made in April.The same process is underway for other cases.The Synaxis of Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne meets from 1-3 September,but lacks the authority to implement the decision.Only the Holy and Sacred Synod can implement it,and their next meeting is in October.*
Patriarch Kirill got to greet several of the Ecumenical Patriarchate hierarchs who had arrived for the Synaxis,including His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey and His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America.

Eastern Europe Update:Patriarch of Bulgaria Backs Macedonian Church,While Ecumencial Patriarchate Meets with Patriarch Kirill

Speaking after services for St.Makrina on 18 July 2018 in Sofia,His Holiness Patriarch Neophytos of Bulgaria said he prays that,with God's help,the process for gaining autocephaly,or independence,for the Macedonian Orthodox Church will be facilitated,as it is a good undertaking:
We love our Macedonian brothers,and we shall be happy and joyful with them.*
His Holiness also believes that the Ecumenical Patriarchate will help resolve the issue of autocephaly for the Macedonian Orthodox Church,which is currently seen as uncanonical by the Orthodox world,Orthodox news website Romfea.gr noted.*
Earlier,on 9 July 2018,a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate called on His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at his official residence on Chisty Lane in Moscow.The delegates were His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France and His Eminence Metropolitan Bartholomew of Smyrna (Izmir,Turkey).Also attending from the Moscow Patriarchate Department of External Church Relations were chairman His Eminence Metropolitan Ilarion of Volokolamsk,and vice-chairman Archpriest Nikolai Balashov.
The talks were reportedly centered on the request by the Ukrainian government and the two uncanonical Ukrainian Orthodox Churches to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.Father Nikolai of the Moscow Patriarchate's DECR told the RIA-Novosti news agency that:
The parties found the meeting useful,and members of the delegation of the Church of Constantinople promised to convey to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople the position of the Russian Orthodox Church that was expressed at the meeting.
Father Nikolai informed the Interfax-Religion news agency that :
In the meeting,the parties frankly and openly stated their positions on a number of issues that present mutual interest,including the situation in Ukraine.

New Orthodox Cathedral Based on Byzantine Architecture Opens in Warsaw

Warsaw's Orthodox Christians,as well as pilgrims from many other lands,gathered for the first Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox Church of Poland's new Agia Sophia Cathedral on 19 May 2018.The cornerstone of the sacred edifice had been laid and blessed by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and His Beatitude Metropolitan Sava of Warsaw and All Poland on 5 December 2015.*
Concelebrating the service on Saturday,in addition to Metropolitan Sava,were His Eminence Archbishop Job of Telmessos (Ecumenical Patriarchate);His Eminence Metropolitan Ilarion of Volokolamsk (Moscow Patriarchate);His Grace Bishop Diodor of Yuzhnoe (Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate);bishops of the Orthodox Church of Poland's Holy Synod;and numerous other clergy.Four Polish choirs chanted the Liturgy in the Cathedral modeled after its namesake,Agia Sophia in Constantinople.
Addresses marking the majestic event from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia were read to the faithful,many of whom donated commemorative blocks placed in the Cathedral walls to affirm their faith and love for their forbearers.The Cathedral is dedicated to the memory of all those who suffered and died for the Orthodox faith,especially the neomartyrs of Poland.*
Besides the first Liturgy,the event marked the occasions of Metropolitan Sava's 80th birthday and 20th anniversary as Primate of Poland;and indeed,the 100th anniversary of Polish independence.A golden cross for the Cathedral's central dome was blessed,elevated and installed at the conclusion of the service.*
The Cathedral's iconography has not yet been written.

Pope Francis Receives Priceless Gift From Patriarch of Moscow

On 15 September 2016,His Holiness Pope Francis met at the Vatican with His Eminence Metropolitan Ilarion of Volokolamsk,Chairman of the External Church Relations Department of the Russian Orthodox Church.Before their meeting,Metropolitan Ilarion presented Pope Francis with a special gift from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.It is a relic of St.Seraphim of Sarov,the spiritual luminary of nineteenth century Russia.The relic is encased in a golden,egg-shaped reliquary,which the Pope promptly genuflected to and kissed.He asked Metropolitan Ilarion,who is in Rome as Head of the Russian Delegation to The Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church,to convey to Patriarch Kirill his gratitude and brotherly love.*
During their meeting,the two hierarchs discussed the state of relations between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches following the historic first meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill in Havana,Cuba last February.They also reviewed the suffering of Christians in the Middle East,stressing the need for more joint actions to alleviate it.His Eminence told the pontiff about the initiatives the Moscow Patriarchate has taken to provide aid to Syria and praised the Pope for his own peace efforts in the region.On the cultural front,the Pope and the Metropolitan noted that the Church of Rome and the Moscow Patriarchate have exchange study tours for Russian Orthodox and Catholic theology students underway.

Metropolitans Emmanuel and Ilarion Address Theological Institute on Pan-Orthodox Council

This June's Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church was the topic of a seminar at Sts.Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute of Postgraduate Studies,Moscow on 11 March.Leading the discussion were His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France,Ecumenical Patriarchate;and His Eminence Metropolitan Ilarion of Volokolamsk,Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department of External Church Relatind rector of the Institute.Other participants included Metropolitan Arseniy of Istra,Patriarchal first vicar for Moscow;Bishop Feofilakt of Dmitrov,abbot of St.Andrew's Monastery,Moscow;Archimandrite Alexander Pihach,representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Moscow Patriarchate;Mr.Andrei Shiskov,secretary of the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission;Archimandrite Seraphim Shemyatovsky,representative of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia to the Moscow Patriarchate;and Mr.Vladimir Katasurov,head of the Chair of Philosophy at the Institute.*
The Council will show the unity of Orthodoxy to the world,Metropolitan Emmanuel said.One of the most important items on the agenda will be the situation in the Middle East and the plight of Christian communities in the region,now facing elimination.It is a humanitarian tragedy,a tragedy of the historical and civilization scale.This situation was the central item on the agenda of the recent meeting between Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Pope Francis in Havana,Cuba,Metropolitan Emmanuel pointed out.*
As to the Orthodox Church's social and demographic context today,Metropolitan Emmanuel noted that the number of people professing the Orthodox faith has increased dramatically in the past century.According to a survey by the College des Bernardins,the number of Orthodox Christians in the world has increased from 124,923,000 in the early 20th century to 274,447,000 in 2010.*
For his part,Metropolitan Ilarion said the preparation of the Council lasted 55 years.It is a very long period.One may ask why it took so long to prepare the Council.We can present many reasons for that,both intra-church and geopolitical.However,the fact that the date of the Council is approaching makes us think that Divine Providence guided our Church in such a way that the Pan-Orthodox Council was not convened earlier,but is to be held now.
This also obtained for the meeting of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the Pope of Rome.The meeting was scheduled for 1997;its venue and date were fixed;yet the meeting did not take place.Later frequent attempts were made to resume the preparatory process,but at last the meeting between the Primates was held.We see the Divine Providence showing us the right time and venue for such historic meetings.*
Quite likely,we will not make some epoch-making decisions that will resound throughout the world.Yet,we will make our decisions to conform with the centuries-old teaching of the Holy Orthodox Church and the aspirations of our believers.These will be decisions disputed by no one,Metropolitan Ilarion told the seminar attendees.*
In his encyclical for Holy and Great Lent,His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey,Ecumenical Patriarchate,asked his flock to pray during this period for the Council.This is a historic event in the life of our Church and we should all pray for its success.Its success not only means reaching agreements on various ecclesiastical issues,but also showing that Christ gave His life for "the life of the world."Let us pray for the Holy and Great Council.Let us pray for His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew,whose mission in the service of Orthodox Unity is essential for the mystery of communion.By our common prayer we all become participants in this spiritual kairos as a way of glorifying our loving God.
May this Holy and Great Lent bring you many blessings,love,humility,patience and all of the virtues that we need for our salvation,and may we journey together to our Lord's glorious Resurrection with joy,praying for each other and those in need,Metropolitan Evangelos concluded.



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