Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein on Sunday met in Jerusalem with Russian
Orthodox Patriarch Kirill I, who is currently in Israel
on an official visit as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Kirill
arrived in Israel as part of a world tour promoting his book, Freedom and
Responsibility, which has been published in more than 15 languages, including
Hebrew.
The book, a collection of the patriarch’s speeches and articles,
discusses the modern confrontation between secular, liberal values and religious
ideals, arguing that religion can complement and supplement non-religious
frameworks of ethical principles.
“Through your book, many people will be
exposed to your words of wisdom,” Edelstein said at a press conference in the
King David Hotel. “You have made great efforts to [advance] universal values and
I hope that they will be realized in our life time.”
Kirill also met with
Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger on Sunday at the offices of the Chief
Rabbinate.
The patriarch arrived on Friday and visited the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem on Saturday, together with Greek
Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, where they conducted a prayer
service for hundreds of worshipers.
He is expected to visit several other
Christian holy sites including the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Nazareth
and a number of locations in the Galilee.