The ceremony of awarding the diploma and mantle of the Honorary Doctor of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry to Metropolitan Hilarion, the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate was held on May 17th.
Opening the ceremonial meeting, rector Yevgeny Bazhanov emphasized that the Academic Council of the university adopted unanimously a decision on the conferment: "Metropolitan Hilarion is an outstanding statesman. He is a ‘Minister of Foreign Affairs’ of our Church and makes a great contribution to the consolidation of peace throughout the world, settlement of international conflicts, development of dialogue between different civilizations and various confessions. The Russian Foreign Ministry estimates highly the activities of our Church on the international arena and especially the activities of Metropolitan Hilarion.’’
The Metropolitan thanked the leadership of the educational institution for their appreciation of the work of the Department for External Church Relations and Foreign Representations of the Russian Orthodox Church led by Patriarch Kirill: "The ROC maintains good and constructive relations with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These relations have existed for several centuries, from the pre-revolutionary times. Even in the Soviet era, when the Church was subjected to harassment and persecution on the international arena, the Moscow Patriarchate provided significant support to the state. For more than 10 years, there has been a joint working group coordinating the interaction between the Russian Church and the Russian Foreign Ministry. "
Also, the Metropolitan noted the significant role of the Academy in raising of the specialists in the field of international relations and upgrading the diplomatic personnel.
The ceremony was attended by the ambassadors of foreign countries, public and political figures, teachers and students of the university.
