Russian church leader to visit Holy Land soon
MOSCOW. Sept 20 (Interfax) - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is due to visit the Holy Land soon, possibly in November, his spokesman said on Thursday.
"The definitive dates for the visit have not been set yet. Tentatively, the visit is being planned for November this year," the spokesman, deacon Alexander Volkov, told Interfax-Religion.
Kirill's planned trip was discussed at a meeting in Moscow on Thursday that brought together the Russian Orthodox Church's foreign relations chief, Metropolitan Hilarion, the head of the church's administration for institutions abroad, Archbishop Mark, Jerusalem's Mayor Nir Barkat and the president of the Russian Jewish Congress, Yury Kanner.
In accordance with an Orthodox tradition, after his election as patriarch, Kirill has been visiting the foreign Orthodox churches whose leaders have their names mentioned in prayers of intercession during communion services in the Russian church.
