Aid to the Church in Need: Russia: Moscow patriarchate says 'thank you' to ACN

Russia: Moscow patriarchate says 'thank you' to ACN

Posted by ACN News on 20/11/2008, 8:46 am
Message modified by board administrator 20/11/2008, 8:50 am

ACN News, Thursday, 20th November 2008 –

Russia

Moscow patriarchate says 'thank you' to ACN

By Eva-Maria Kolmann

During a visit to Moscow last week, the leadership of the international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need met together with Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad on the 11th of November. As head of the Moscow patriarchate’s external affairs office he is, so to speak, the "foreign minister" of the patriarchate and as such, after the patriarch himself, one of the most senior representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Metropolitan thanked the charity for the support it has given the Orthodox Church in Russia since 1992 and likewise for its commitment to interreligious dialogue.

The delegation from ACN comprised the newly appointed international president of the charity, Father Joaquín Alliende, its first vice president, Dr Pieter van der Velden and its secretary general since January 2008, Mr Pierre-Marie Morel. They were accompanied by Peter Humeniuk, who handles ACN's projects in Russia, and Eva-Maria Kolmann, a journalist on the staff of the charity.

During their meeting with Metropolitan Kirill, both the patriarchate and the charity emphasised how important it was to maintain their excellent mutual contacts in the future and to deepen and extend the collaboration between them. The Metropolitan said that it was good to be able "to depend on organisations that have already proved themselves in the field of collaboration", adding that even in difficult times ACN had been a reliable partner. ACN's president, Father Joaquín Alliende expressed his joy at the mutual confidence that had grown between them and emphasised that the charity would still continue, under its newly elected leadership, to provide help for the Russian Orthodox Church and to strive to promote and develop the dialogue between them.

(Metropolitan Kirill, head of the external affairs office of the Moscow patriarchate, receiving a gift of a crucifix from the ACN delegation)

In the face of the general collapse in moral values and the increasing spread of moral relativism in modern society, both sides were united on the necessity of adopting a common position in defence of Christian ethics and the Christian world view. This is one area where collaboration will be still further intensified in the future.

On behalf of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexsey II, Metropolitan Kirill awarded the Order of Saint Daniil of Moscow to ACN's Russia specialist Peter Humeniuk. This is a high honour awarded by the Russian Orthodox Church in recognition of exceptional services.

The ACN delegation also met with Archbishop Yevgenij, the chairman of the doctrinal committee of the ROC in the Lavra of Sergeev Posad (known in Soviet times as Zagorsk). This monastery is one of the most important spiritual centres of Russian Orthodoxy. During their meeting, various joint projects were discussed. Archbishop Yevgeni, who is also the rector of the Spiritual Academy and of the seminary of the monastery, thanked ACN warmly for the help already given and underlined the importance of a solid spiritual formation for the promotion of mutual understanding and dialogue between the two Churches.

(ACN-President Father Joaquin Alliende, with an orthodox priest and Archbishop Evgeniy, head of the committee for education of the Russian-Orthodox Church and rector of the seminary and theological academy at Sergiev Posad, Pieter van der Velden, ACN’s first vice-president, Pierre-Marie Morel, secretary general of ACN and Peter Humeniuk , head of Russian section with ACN)

Another stop on the ACN delegation’s itinerary was a dinner with the apostolic Nuncio in the Russian Federation, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, who underlined the fact that ACN enjoys the highest regard in Russia both among Catholics and among Orthodox believers.

The delegation also visited the offices of the Catholic archdiocese in Moscow, together with other project partners and significant localities, among them the tomb of the Orthodox priest Father Alexander Men, who was murdered in 1990, yet still held in the highest regard both in Orthodox and in Catholic quarters. Other places visited include the memorial to the martyrs of the Soviet era in Butovo and the world-famous icon of the Holy Trinity in Rublev.

Encouraged by Pope John Paul II, ACN has been committed since 1992 to dialogue with the Orthodox Church in Russia. Last year, during a private audience, Pope Benedict XVI again expressed his gratitude to the leadership of the charity for its commitment and encouraged ACN to continue its work.

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy See, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need. ACN is a Catholic charity – helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Fr Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity”, the organisation is now at work in about 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 45 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information, contact please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web:

Link: www.aidtochurch.org

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org