Metropolitan Hilarion: Western liberals make a grave mistake by imposing totalitarian standards on free people
27.03.2012 · DECR Chairman
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations, speaking during the weekly programme ‘The Church and the World’ on Russia 24 TV channel on March 24, 2012, commented on the British authorities’ decision to defend in the European Court of Human Rights the legitimacy of the corporate policy adopted by some British commercial companies to ban the wearing of baptismal crosses.
DECR chairman meets with the representative of the Church of Greece to the European Union
On November 30, 2011, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, met with Metropolitan Athanassios of Achaia, representative of the Church of Greece to the European Union, who came to Moscow to participate in the Conference on the Freedom of Faith: the Problem of Discrimination and Persecution of Christians.
Patriarch Kirill meets with participants in the International Conference "Freedom of Faith: the Problem of Discrimination and Persecution against Christians"
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with the participants in the International Conference on Freedom of Faith: the Problem of Discrimination and Persecution against Christians. The meeting took place at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on 1 December 2011.
DECR vice-chairman meets with European Union diplomats
On October 12, 2011, hegumen Philaret (Bulekov), vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, met with high-ranking European Union diplomats at the Moscow office of the EU Delegation to Russia.
Patriarch Kirill’s statement on disturbances in Cairo
The Russian Orthodox Church has followed the developments in Egypt with concern and bitterness. Blood has been spilt and Christian churches have been destroyed again. There is another manifestation of growing intolerance towards Christians and their legal and physical vulnerability in the Egyptian society.
Metropolitan Hilarion speaks at OSCE meeting on Christianophobia
The high-level meeting on Preventing and Responding to Hate Incidents and Crimes against Christians took place on September 12, 2011, in Rome. It has become one of the first issue events to be held by the OSCE on the problem of Christanophobia. It was initiated by Lithuania, the present chair of the OSCE, and supported by the Holy See. The forum was attended by representatives of the OSCE member states, international organizations, experts, journalists and scientists.
Turkish Government to Return Seized Property to Religious Minorities
The Turkish government said it would return hundreds of properties that were confiscated from religious minorities by the state or other parties over the years since 1936, and would pay compensation for properties that were seized and later sold. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the announcement on Sunday to representatives of more than 150 Christian and Jewish trusts gathered at a dinner he hosted in Istanbul to break the day’s Ramadan fast. The government decree to return the properties, bypassing nationalist opposition in Parliament, was issued late Saturday (27.08.2011).
World public forum ‘Dialogue of Civilizations’ holds international conference on ‘Mount Athos’s Contribution to Europe’s Religious and Intellectual Tradition’ in Salzburg.
A conference on ‘The Contribution of Mount Athos to Europe’s Religious and Intellectual Tradition’ was held on July 8-9, 2011, in Salzburg, Austria. It was organized by the Dialogue of Civilizations world public forum. Among the participants were Mr. Walter Schwimmer, former general secretary of the Council of Europe, Princess Katarina of Serbia, Great Britain, Prince George Yourievsky of the Romanov Family, Switzerland, representatives of the Friends of Mount Athos, Oxford, the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge, the Amsterdam Center for Eastern Orthodox Theology, public and governmental bodies, the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England, business and scientific communities, as well as clergy from the Churches of Russia, Georgia, Greece and other Local Orthodox Churches and brethren from monasteries on the Holy Mount Athos.
Patriarch Kirill opens the Moscow meeting of the European Council of Religious Leaders
The European Council of Religious Leaders (ECRL) opened its meeting on 21 June 2011, at the Church Councils Hall of the Church of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. It is the first meeting to be held by the Council in Moscow and its theme is ‘Human Rights and Traditional Values in Europe’.
Metropolitan Hilarion: It is urgent that a system of protecting Christians against persecution be organized.
Speech at the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation on 18.05.2011
"What are we doing as Christians today to protect our brothers and sisters in faith who are subjected daily to humiliation, threats and discrimination on the grounds of religious intolerance? Regrettably, more often than not we do not go beyond statements, press releases, condolences and politically correct ‘expressions of concern’. The hour has come to move to effective actions. We urgently need to organize a system of protecting Christians against persecution. In the first place, it is necessary to set up information structures to monitor crimes committed on the grounds of religious hatred. The Christian community for all its disunity should unite and request the UN, governmental and international organizations to put an end to the persecution against Christians in today’s world".