Russia slams desecration of Muslim saint's tomb in Mali
Metropolitan Hilarion: Western liberals make a grave mistake by imposing totalitarian standards on free people
Russia will protect Christian minorities in the Middle East
Conference on the problem of discrimination and persecution against Christians opens in Moscow
01/12/2011
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).