ECUMENISM
“The Church in the Russian Federation is separate from the State, but not from society. During her millenarian history, the Russian Orthodox Church has always shared the joys and sorrows of the population, and will continue to do so. We have some tasks in common; we ought to seek peace and concord, since only a united society can contribute to the construction of Russia”, said the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow, Alexei II, on receiving the national Prize of the Russian Federation for humanitarianism in recent days. The prize was given him – says the citation – “for his educative and fruitful activity in support of peace that helps to reaffirm moral values and consolidate them in society”. Also in recent days, a liturgical service of thanksgiving to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Department for External Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow was celebrated in the cathedral of the Trinity in the monastery of St. Daniel. “Today – said Alexei II on that occasion – we solemnly celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Department of External Relations and render thanks to God for our brotherly relations with the local Orthodox Churches, contacts with the non-Orthodox world and cooperation with the other religions, public organizations and movements, which the Department has initiated over the years”. In recent weeks the Patriarch had also officiated, on the vigil of the 16th anniversary of his enthronement, a celebration in the church of Christ the Saviour to welcome the arrival in Moscow of the relics of the right hand of St. John the Baptist, brought to Russia from the monastery of Cetinje in Montenegro. The relic began a kind of travelling “pilgrimage” through various cities of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine on 16 June.
