The Russian Church’s Metropolitan of Volokolamsk, His Eminence Hilarion, over the weekend began a visit to the southern Italian port city of Bari.
His Eminence, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, on Saturday met with the governor of the region.
Hilarion, who is also the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, pointed to the importance of maintaining a high level of cooperation between the Moscow Patriarchate and the government of the region, which is blessed with the presence of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.