On November 26-27, 2024, Bangkok hosted the round table «Russian Orthodox Church and compatriots: the experience of working together in Asia and Australia», the work of which, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, was headed by the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk.
Hierarchs, clergy and laymen of the Russian Orthodox Church, representatives of organizations of Russian compatriots from Asia and Australia, including the Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia Metropolitan Sergius of Singapore and Southeast Asia, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, Archbishop Theophan of Korea, Vicar of the Singapore Diocese Bishop Pitirim of Jakarta. The church delegation accompanying the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations included Deputy Chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church's Department for External Church Relations Protopriest Nikolai Lishchenyuk, Secretary of the Russian Orthodox Church's Department for Foreign Relations Archpriest Sergius Zvonarev, Hieromonk Kirill (Peregudin) of the Russian Orthodox Church's Secretariat for Foreign Affairs, and Priest Nikolai Vasin, Secretary to the Chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The participants also included representatives of public organizations of compatriots in Russia.
Representatives of public organizations of compatriots and Russian diplomats were also among the participants.
The forum was organized jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate with the support of the «Russian World» Foundation. Similar events, as a continuation of the joint initiative of the Department for External Church Relations and the Department for Work with Compatriots of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia realized in 2009, were previously held in Brussels, Buenos Aires, Beijing, San Francisco, Johannesburg, Rome, Berlin, Rabat, Seoul and Budapest.
The meeting was opened by Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, who conveyed the greetings and blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to the participants. It has long been noted that church parishes, being in a sense islands of the Fatherland on the territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, are the most important part of the Russian Orthodox Church. The parishes become a natural center of spiritual and cultural life for our brothers and sisters. At parishes people can pray together, talk about pressing problems, and simply communicate in their native language," emphasized the chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Today parishes and communities of the Moscow Patriarchate operate in nearly one hundred countries of the world, where almost two thousand priests and churchmen serve. As the hierarch noted, church communities abroad help compatriots organically enter the social environment of the host country and preserve their spiritual and cultural identity. The parishes host events organized by the communities themselves or with their direct participation, Sunday schools are established, educational activities are carried out, assistance is provided to compatriots in mastering the local language and preserving their native speech, as well as in finding employment, legal and social counseling is provided. Together with Russian embassies, Russian houses and Russian centers of science and culture, organizations of compatriots and their associations, cultural and educational activities are carried out, including lectures, pastoral meetings, art exhibitions, charity events, donations for the needy, and the following
Holy Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly said in his speeches that church life and church mission should not be limited to the church.
Holy Patriarch Kirill in his speeches repeatedly said that church life, church mission should not be limited to the limits of the temple, recalled the chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church, expressing confidence that these words are even more relevant with regard to the foreign missions of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is gratifying that today not only religious, but also social activity of parishes is developing, — emphasized Vladyka Antony. — And this is primarily due to the emergence of new people. The image of modern compatriots is changing: among them there are more and more young and energetic people who are able to serve the development of parish life with their strength and talents. The Church is also trying to send young shepherds to foreign parishes who are ready to intensify church activities.
Touching upon the life of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia, on the territory of which the current meeting is taking place, the chairman of the DECC pointed out that thanks to the missionary and educational works of the Patriarchal Exarch, archpastors and shepherds, church life in the parishes of the Exarchate in its various directions is consistently developing. Special mention was made of active social work of the Exarchate, which involves many people living in the countries of the region. We are encouraged by the growing number of parishioners, both from the local population and our compatriots. We see this as a pledge of the future of Orthodoxy in Southeast Asia," Metropolitan Anthony also emphasized.
In his speech, the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations dwelt on the events in Ukraine, in particular, the persecution unleashed by the state against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, mentioning the adoption of a law aimed at the liquidation of the Church, the slander campaign in the media and the hate speech used, searches in churches and monasteries, «transfers»temples to the temples created with the support of Constantinople Patriarchate, fictitious criminal cases against hierarchs and priests, illegal seizure of historical churches and shrines, land plots under churches, etc. from the use of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Over the past three years, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly sent appeals to I appeal to the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches, leaders of major world confessions, political leaders, and heads of international organizations to pay attention to and assess the iniquities being committed against Orthodox believers in Ukraine. This topic has been repeatedly discussed by the UN Security Council, and the facts of violations of the rights of believers in Ukraine are recorded in the documents of international and human rights organizations.
The majority of the local Orthodox Churches and many other addressees of His Holiness' appeals have in one form or another expressed support for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and condemnation of violations of its rights, Metropolitan Anthony recalled, noting with regret that the Church of Constantinople, its hierarchs and personally Patriarch Bartholomew actually approve of the ongoing persecution against the canonical Church in Ukraine.
He also drew the attention of those present to the anti-canonical actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the region of South and Southeast Asia. Constantinople considers the countries of the region not as a place of residence of the Orthodox diaspora, but as a place of its missionary activity, to which it extends its direct jurisdiction. This ignores the missionary Metropolitan Anthony expressed his hope that the round table would allow to discuss the full range of available issues, and also wished to those present archpastors and archbishops who were present the best wishes for the future of the Russian Orthodoxy.
Metropolitan Anthony expressed the hope that the work of the round table will allow to discuss the whole range of issues, and also wished the present archpastors and clergy God's help in the responsible service, which they perform in difficult conditions far beyond their native land, helping their compatriots to preserve the faith of their ancestors, spiritual traditions and culture.
The sessions also included speeches by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Thailand E. Tomikhin, Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia Metropolitan Sergius of Singapore and Southeast Asia, Director of the Department for Work with Compatriots Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia G. A. Ovechko, Metropolitan Sergius of Singapore and Southeast Asia, and Metropolitan Ovechko, Director of the Department for Work with Compatriots Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.A. Ovechko, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs A.P. Lukashik, Archbishop Theophan of Korea, Chairman of the World Coordination Council of Russian Compatriots M.V. Drozdov, Archpriest Nikolai, Rector of the Russian Orthodox Church in Tokyo (Japan). Katsyuban, Chairman of the Union of Russian Compatriots in the Kingdom of Thailand T.V. Kim, Vicar of the Singapore Diocese Bishop Pitirim of Jakarta, Secretary of the Thailand Diocese, Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Bangkok Archimandrite Oleg (Cherepanin), member of the Union of Russian Compatriots in Thailand D.S. Tarasyuk, Acting Rector of the Church of St. Nicholas of Myra in Tehran (Iran) Hegumen Varlaam (Dulsky), Rector of Holy Trinity Church in Melbourne (Iran), Rector of the Church of St. Nicholas of Myra in Melbourne (Iran) Hegumen Varlaam (Dulsky), Acting Rector of the Church of St. Nicholas of Myra. Hegumen Varlaam (Dulsky), rector of the Church of St. Nicholas of Myra in Tehran (Iran), Archpriest Igor Filianovsky, rector of Holy Trinity Church in Melbourne (Australia), Hieromonk Paisiy (Ipate), dean of the Cambodian District (Kingdom of Cambodia), Hieromonk Innokenty (Kolesnikov), rector of the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Beijing on the territory of the Russian Embassy in China, and Hieromonk Alexander Nevsky, rector of the Church of the Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky in Vientiane (Laos). Vientiane (Lao People's Democratic Republic) Priest Dimitriy Lavrentiev, rector of the Holy Trinity parish in Chandrapur (India) Priest Kliment Nehamaiya, rector of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Vung Tau (Socialist Republic of Vietnam). Vung Tau (Socialist Republic of Vietnam) Priest Eugene Tsukalo, acting rector of Holy Trinity Church in Ulan Bator (Mongolia) Priest Vladislav Ratnikov.
On November 27, in the presence of participants of the The Chairman of the World Coordination Council of Russian Compatriots M.V. Drozdov awarded Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk with the honorary sign of this organization &lquo;in recognition of the significant contribution made to the development of the movement of Russian compatriots abroad»
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For two days of the forum there was a fruitful exchange of views on ways to develop cooperation between the Church, the state and organizations of compatriots. The participants of the round table noted the positive experience of social ministry of parish communities in the region of Southeast Asia, which was especially evident during the pandemic of coronavirus infection. The importance of strengthening ties between foreign parishes and organizations of Russian compatriots, including the Country Coordinating Councils of organizations of Russian compatriots, was recognized.
EVCS Communication Service/Patriarchy.ru
