MOSCOW: May 17, 2012
The Committee on Strengthening Church Unity Convenes On the Eve of the 5th Anniversary of the Signing of the Act of Canonical Communion

On May 16, 2012, the second meeting of the Committee on Strengthening Church Unity was held at the offices of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and the participation of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, President of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. This group is headed by His Eminence Metropolitan Ilarion of Volokolamsk, President of the DECR.

Also participating were Vice President of the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR, His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany; His Eminence Archbishop Michael of Geneva and Western Europe; His Grace Bishop Mark of Egorievsk, Head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administration of Institutions Abroad; Protopriest Alexander Lebedeff, Secretary of the Department of Inter-Orthodox Relations of the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR; Protopriest Nikolai Balashkov, Vice President of the DECR of the MP; Protopriest Serafim Gan, Chancellor of the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR and Secretary of the First Hierarch, and Protopriest Andrew Phillips, member of the Spiritual Court of the Diocese of Germany and the United Kingdom.

The participants discussed the program of commemorative events for the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion, exchanged information on the execution of directives made during their first meeting, discussed mutual cooperation on the local level and the transitional period as outlined in the Addendum to the Act.

Press Service of the DECR