Orthodox bishops of frontier epachies of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus hold a conference

On February 4, 2013, the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church’s frontier dioceses of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus held their second conference. The first one took place on February 3, 2011, "on the sideline’s" of the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, the press service of the ROC informs.

The conference was chaired by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations. In his report, Metropolitan Hilarion summed up the inter-diocesan cooperation in the Russian-Ukrainian-Belorusian frontier regions in the period from 2011-2012. He spoke in particular about theological education, mission, youth work, organizations of pilgrimages and joint celebrations on church significant dates as well as cooperation with governmental and pubic organizations and the arrangement of cultural events and festivals.

After a discussion on ways of developing cooperation between the ROC dioceses in the frontier region, the conference adopted a draft decision to be submitted to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.