on September 19, 2018 in the presidential residence Lisbon there took place a meeting of the chairman Department of external church relations the Moscow Patriarchy the metropolitan Volokolamsk Illarion with President Portugal to Rebel Marsel de Sousa.
the President warmly welcomedof the metropolitan and accompanying his faces, having noted that for it a great honor and pleasure to accept the high representative RO Russian Orthodox church, playing so important role in modern Russian society and in the international sphere. Rebel Marsel de Sousa with satisfaction noted fruitful development the relations between Portugal and Russian Federation in recent years.
the Head of state emphasized that RO Russian Orthodox church takes a worthy place in an overall picture of religious life Portugal in connection with growth of number of emigrants from the countries the former Soviet Union.
of the Lord told to the President that now to Portugal 20 arrivals of the Moscow Patriarchy which take place in the former Catholic temples are, is gratuitous provided in using to orthodox communities local Catholic bishops.
the Chairman of OVTsS also told the head of the Portuguese state about revival and development RO Russian Orthodox church, possessing big spiritual and moral authority on the Russian society. "The appeal of millions Russians to orthodox belief after decades of an atheistic mode — this miracle by which we are obliged to God, to the Mother of God and the martyrs who were injured in days of persecutions" — especially was underlined by the metropolitan.
the President expressed tobelief that the religion, besides the value in the sphere of private life of believers, has big social responsibility which it has to bear, despite sekulyarization process in the western society.
in conclusion of a meeting the chairman of OVTsS presented to the President Portugal as a gift the book "Sacrament of Belief" published in the Portuguese language.
At a meeting of the metropolitan accompanied the representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia to the Patriarch Antiokhiyskom and all East the abbot Arseny (Sokolov) , the employee of OVTsS the priest Dikarev Aleksy and ipodiakon Nikolaev Yvan.
Service of communication of OVTsS / of Patriarkhiya.Ru