THE DELEGATION OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE UAE

Someone once said that a Christian should have a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. The world is rapidly moving along the path of progress, and people want to keep abreast of all the events taking place in order to readily meet the great changes and see the fulfillment of God's commandments and promises. In the section "Spiritual Communication" we report the news of religion, raise issues of religion and spirituality.
On April 20, 2004, a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, arrived in the UAE for the first official visit. The days of the delegation in the United Arab Emirates were extremely eventful and met. On the day of arrival, the head of the delegation, Metropolitan Kirill, announced his intention to meet with the country's leadership to continue the constructive dialogue conducted by the Russian Orthodox Church with Islamic leaders and states. “The UAE is a special country,” said Metropolitan Kirill. “On the one hand, it maintains traditions associated with Islam and its culture, and treats them with care; on the other hand, this country is open to everything new, dynamically developing in socio-economic "This relationship between tradition and modern development is of great interest to us."
During the visit, the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church met with the ruler of the emirate of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, to discuss issues of bilateral Russian-Emirate relations and the role of the religious factor in modern life. During the conversation, the problems of establishing peace, tranquility and justice in the regions of the Middle East and the Balkans were discussed, the topic of Orthodox-Muslim relations and the possibilities of mutual understanding between Orthodox and Muslims in the process of achieving common goals were touched upon.
Upon arrival in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Kirill celebrated the Divine Liturgy in St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Antioch Orthodox Church, performed the Communion to the Holy Secrets of Christ with the tasting of bread and wine, and presented it to the rector of the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church in Tehran Abbot Alexander sacred club for services to the church. The abbot of St. Nicholas Cathedral, Father Stephen, was given the Orthodox icon as a gift from the Antioch Orthodox Church in Abu Dhabi.
In the capital of the UAE, a meeting was held between the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Kirill, and the Minister of Justice and Religious Affairs and Waqf Affairs, Muhammad al-Zahiri. During official negotiations, the need for a Christian-Muslim dialogue was discussed to ensure the stability of the system of international relations. The interlocutors critically rejected any form of manifestation of terror, extremism, religious fanaticism and attempts to speculate on the differences of religious denominations.
Concluding his first official visit, the Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Cyril, preached in the Armenian temple of Sharjah, performed a water sanctuary, and announced the receipt of official permission to build the church of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sharjah. This news caused genuine joy among the parishioners, because for the citizens of the CIS countries living in the United Arab Emirates, the Russian Orthodox Church is a place where you can join the spiritual values of the church culture of Russia.
The fruitfulness of the visit of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church can be judged by the head of the delegation, who told RIA Novosti in an interview: “The persons I met in the Emirates expressed their desire to develop an active dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church. They consider this dialogue important part of relations between the Russian Federation and the UAE. "