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. The meeting was held within the framework of Moscow monthly consultations of the heads of EU Embassies’ profiling units. Politicians, businessmen, workers of culture are traditionally invited to the consultations. Hegumen Philaret was the first Russian Orthodox clergyman to take part in such a meeting.

He told the participants about the cooperation between the Moscow Patriarchate and the EU institutions, described the position of the Church on topical social issues and answered many questions.

Present at the meeting was also Miguel Palacio of the DECR Secretariat for the far-abroad countries.