Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk

Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk

Metropolitan Filaret ( Belarusian Мітрапаліт Філарэт Вахрамееў , Russian Митрополит Кирилл Вахромеев ), born Kirill Warfolomejewitsch Wachromejew ( Belarusian Кірыл Варфаламеевіч Вахрамееў , Russian Кирилл Варфоломеевич Вахромеев ) (* 21st March 1935 in Moscow ), the Russian Orthodox patriarch exarch of all Belarus ; Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk (until December 25, 2013).

Live and act

Filaret grew up in the family of an employee. He attended a middle school and a music school at the same time . He then completed his studies in 1957 Orthodox theology at the Moscow Seminary and was in 1961 at the Moscow Theological Academy for doctor of theology doctorate . In 1959, while still a student, he was accepted as a monk . As a teacher at the Moscow Spiritual Academy, he was ordained a priest on December 14, 1961 . In 1961 he was assistant to the academy inspector and in 1962 an inspector himself . After being promoted to " Igumen " and " Archimandrite ", he was ordained (titular) Bishop of Tikhvin in 1965 . At the same time he became auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Leningrad . During this period from 1961 to 1965 he was also the secretary of the Commission for Christian Unity. He was a member of the Christian Peace Conference and there for several years a member of the working committee and chairman of the committee for the continuation of work.

In 1966 he was appointed (titular) Bishop of Dmitrov in the Diocese of Moscow and at the same time assumed the post of Rector of the Moscow Spiritual Academy. In the following time he worked in scientific publishing and in the foreign office. In 1970 he was made archbishop and briefly entrusted with the administration of the diocese of Kaliningrad , then bishop of Berlin (West and East) and Central Europe and Patriarchal Exarch for Central Europe. In 1975 he was awarded the title of Metropolitan. In 1978 he became Metropolitan of Minsk and Belarus , and shortly thereafter Patriarchal Exarch of all of Western Europe. From 1981 to 1989 he was in charge of the ecclesiastical foreign office, and in 1985 the pastoral care for the Orthodox parish districts in Finland . With that he gave up the office of exarch for Western Europe. Since October 1, 1989 he has been the Metropolitan of Minsk and Grodno and Exarch of Belarus. Filaret heads the Theological Commission of the Holy Synod . On November 15, 1983 Filaret was made an honorary doctor of the theological faculty of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg .

From 1990 to 1995 he was a deputy in the Supreme Soviet of Belarus and a member of the Commission for Education, Culture and the Preservation of Historical Heritage. He is also currently a permanent member of the Holy Synod.

The Patriarchal Exarch of Belarus, Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, withdrew his candidacy for the office of patriarch at the regional assembly of the Russian Orthodox Church in January 2009. Filaret called on his supporters to cast their votes for the governor of the patriarchal chair, Metropolitan Kyrill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad.

Recently, Metropolitan Filaret has placed his hopes on a constructive dialogue between the cultures of the Old and New Testaments . He said this before the opening of the international research conference " Christian-Jewish Dialogue : Religious Values ​​as the Basis of Mutual Respect in Civil Society During the Global Economic Crisis".

"This dialogue is very topical because we always strive for a life in harmony and love and there is no confrontation in our relationships," said Metropolitan Filaret. He added that it was not about full equality of opinion on questions of faith. An equal dialogue between Christians and Jews could be an example of how one can learn from one's own mistakes in order to be able to prevent future historical disasters . Judaism belongs to the oldest Abrahamic religion alongside Christianity and Islam . The conference opened on November 9th , on the anniversary of the so-called Reichskristallnacht in 1938.

" After numerous tragedies in the 20th century, European civilization has finally developed an awareness when followers of different religions strive for peaceful coexistence or coexistence and try to maintain friendliness or at least neutrality ," said Filaret. But this balance remains very fragile in today's world. We have to learn tolerance and togetherness, promote dialogue and preserve our own cultural, national and spiritual identity , said the Patriarchal Exarch of Belarus "

In 2013 he was made Honorary Exarch of Belarus. He was succeeded by Metropolitan Pavel Georgia Ponomarjov, who was previously Metropolitan of Rjazan.

Publications

in: " The Narrow Path " (quarterly collection of writings with materials on Orthodox Christianity, edited by Johannes Alfred Wolf )

• March / April 2006
  • Metropolitan Filaret: Triumph of Orthodoxy

• June 2003
  • Prayer of St. Filaret, the Metropolitan of Moscow

• March / April 2003
  • St. Filaret of Moscow sermon on the veneration of the cross

literature

• Harald Schreiber (with extensive assistance from Hermann Goltz ): Mediator in the spirit of ecumenism: Metropolit Philaret , Union Verlag, Berlin 1985 (Christ in der Welt series, issue 61)

Web links

• Literature by and about Filaret von Minsk and Sluzk in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://de.rian.ru/culture/20090127/119823439.html
2. ↑  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ] ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
3. ↑ http://www.orthlit.de/Vierteljahreszeitschrift.htm
4. ↑ see http://d-nb.info/850679478