With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church is represented at the session by a delegation led by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations. The delegation includes Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman, and Deacon Anatoly Churyakov, a DECR interpreter.
The 3d session is to finalize its work to review a Pan-Orthodox Council’s draft document on Contribution of the Orthodox Church to the Triumph of Peace, Justice, Freedom, Brotherhood and Love among Nations and the Elimination of Racial and Other Forms of Discrimination – the work the Commission began at its 2nd session. It will also edit other draft decisions of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church.
The opening of the session was preceded by two-day work of the drafting committee from March 28-29, chaired by Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Costlands, Serbian Patriarchate. From the Russian Orthodox Church the committee meeting was attended by Archpriest Nikolay Balashov along with representatives of the Orthodox Churches of Antioch, Jerusalem, Romania and Greece.
The Special Inter-Orthodox Commission meeting is chaired by Metropolitan John of Pergamon, Patriarchate of Constantinople, It is attended by delegations of the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Georgia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Orthodox Churches of Cyprus, Greece, Albania, and the Czech Land and Slovakia.
