President Lennart Meri received the Archbishop Johannes of the Estonian Orthodox Church, and also Metropolitan Meliton and Metropolitan Johannes and Deacon Aleksander in Kadriorg today.

On the meeting, the clergymen spoke of the restoration of the rights of the Estonian Orthodox Church that gained its autonomy in 1923, and informed of the decision of the congregations the Estonian Orthodox Church from Tuesday to invite Bishop Stefanos from Paris to be the Archbishop of the Estonian Orthodox Church.

President Meri thanked the orthodox clergy for their contribution to the church life in Estonia throughout the years and spoke of the need to give more attention to common values to which the Orthodox Church also has contributed.

Archbishop Johannes, Bishop Johannes and Bishop Meliton also brought President Meri a letter from the Ecumenical Patriarch.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, March 10, 1999

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