News

New York (20081119) - The Elected Metropolitan Jonah of All America and Canada met with Bishop Mercury of Zaraisk, administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, on 17 November 2008 at the residence of American Metropolitans at Syosset. It was the first meeting to be held by the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America after his election by the All-American Council.

In the beginning of their talk, Bishop Mercury, speaking on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia and Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad as head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, offered warm congratulations to the newly-elected Primate of the Orthodox Church in America as he has been called to the lofty and important service of the Church of Christ. His Grace Mercury conveyed to His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah a congratulatory message from His Holiness and a letter of greetings from Metropolitan Kirill and a bouquet of flowers from the staff of the Moscow Patriarchate Representation in the USA.

Metropolitan Johan thanked his guest for the messages and, on his part, asked Bishop Mercury to convey his assurances of brotherly love with a request for their holy prayers to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and Metropolitan Kirill.

Then they had a prolonged talk about prospects for the development of joint service for the Church of Christ in North America. His Beatitude stressed in particular that it was impossible to build a future without taking account of the past and expressed hope that the Russian Orthodox Church as Mother Church, along with other Orthodox Churches, would take a prayerful participation in overcoming the existing disorders.

Bishop Mercury, on his part, said that the Moscow Patriarchate Representation in the USA would exert every effort for developing further the good cooperation with the Orthodox Church in America in all the proposed areas.

They were joined in their talk by Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky, the Orthodox Church in America’s Director of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations, and Archpriest Alexander Garklavs, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America, and Archpriest Erick G. Tosi, Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America.

DECR Communication Service
Source: www.mospat.ru