A summary report about some of the 4th day…

The irenic visit of His Beatitude Patriarch to the Patriarchate of Moscow and all Russia - a report about some of the 4th day events- in the afternoon- Moscow.

 

In the afternoon, the Antiochian delegation moved accompanied by the delegation of the Russian Patriarchate to the center of the Russian Senate, where they had an expanded meeting with Mrs. Valentina Matvienko the President of the Senate along with her assistants.  

In the meeting, the two parties made a presentation about the challenges, difficulties and dangers that face the Middle East, and the complicated situation in Syria, and the political instability in Lebanon, and the ways to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Syria, and the necessity for a political dialogue as the only way to solve the disputes and to restore peace.

Moreover, there was an exchange of views on the approaches about the Christian existence in the East. Mrs. Matvienko presented the official view of the Russian state and the ways to solve it.

This was followed by the Patriarch’s presentation, confirming some of the national principles through which the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch works, including the Islamic-Christian co-existence, moderation, and the refusal to use religion as a component of segregation, rejection of extremism that refuses the other’s liberty imposing him to do things he is not convinced of.

- The principle of citizenship and equality as citizens: Muslims and Christians, in rights and duties.
- Rejection of the principle of “religions’ conflict”.
- The refusal to deal with essential and historical subjects from the view of majority and minority rights.
- Refusal of immigration and forced displacement of Christians, and the need to do projects that help them staying in their homeland.

They talked about the pain and the wounds caused by the two abducted bishops, and some of our priests, and lately detention of the nuns of Maaloula, as well.

The Patriarch emphasized that abusing the individual, any individual, is totally unacceptable. After thanking the Russian people again, as a Church and as a state, for their sympathy with the sorrows of the Syrian people, He thanked them for the aids offered for relief, and He thanked them for all their efforts done, on the highest levels, to release the two bishops, the nuns and all the abducted persons.

At the end of this meeting, Mrs. Matvienko offered the Patriarch a federal medal, and the two delegations exchanged gifts.