Meeting of Russian Orthodox and Finnish Lutherans in Moscow

The 12th theological colloquium between representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is being held in Moscow.

The department of external church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate has told RIA Novosti that the colloquium opened on September 30 and is due to last until October 5.

The delegations are headed by Metropolitan of St Petersburg and Ladoga Vladimir and Archbishop of Turku and Finland Jukka Paarma.

The theological dialogue between the two churches has lasted for three decades, the department of external church relations said. This time, reports and discussions will be devoted to the two churches' analysis in the fields of theology, social ethic, ecumenical and church-social relations.

The participants in the colloquium will discuss the prospects of the two churches' dialogue in the future, considering the new social realities and complex trends in relations between Christians of different denominations.