NEW YORK: July 20, 2011
The First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad Receives a Representative of Russia's National Awards Commission

As reported by the official website of the Diocese of Eastern America, on Tuesday, July 5, 2011, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Outside of Russia, His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York, met at his Synodal residence with Valery S. Balakirev, chairman of Russia’s National Awards Committee.

Topics of discussion included the possibility of erecting monuments to the reposed Alexey II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and Metropolitan Laurus of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, across the Eastern American Diocese and other locations as part of "Reconciliation," a project dedicated to the reconciliation of the Russian and Diaspora parts of the Russian Orthodox Church. His Eminence gave his enthusiastic blessing for the realization of the "Reconciliation" project.

Mr Balakirev also mentioned the possibility of constructing Russian Orthodox churches in America in collaboration with Russian craftsmen, which received the First Hierarch’s enthusiastic approval.

www.eadiocese.org