PACE President meets with Igumen Philaret (Bulekov)

PACE President highly appreciated an active position of the Russian Orthodox Church in the development of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue in Europe, noting that the Moscow Patriarchate and the Roman Catholic Church have initiated direct contacts between the Council of Europe and traditional European religions. This area has become a priority in the work of the Council and the Parliamentary Assembly.

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu underscored that his meetings with the leaders of religious organizations in Russia and, first and foremost, with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, have been a testimony and an example of successful intereligious cooperation in the country, living in which are representatives of different nationalities, cultural traditions and faiths.

PACE President thanked hegumen Philaret on behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly, its staff, and on his own behalf for his long work in Strasbourg done for the sake of contacts between the Council of Europe and religions.

Hegumen Philaret expressed his confidence in the necessity of maintaining dialogue for peace and mutual understanding in European society and common building of the Greater Europe, in which representatives of different cultures and world outlooks live and human rights and dignity are appreciated and upheld.