This was their first talk after Kirill had been appointed for the new position.

After being escorted through University museums, Kirill joined Rector Ilshat Gafurov along with Vice-Rector of Kazan Eastern Orthodox Seminary Aleksei Kolcherin, Counsellor to the Rector of KFU Linar Latypov, and Director of the Institute of Social and Philosophical Sciences Mikhail Schelkunov.

Rector Gafurov noted that the University had a long and fruitful history of cooperation with religious institutions before the October Revolution of 1917 and seeks to expand such cooperation nowadays.

“The University’s local mission is to promote education targeted at religious, linguistic, cultural and historical specifics of Tatarstani peoples, interreligious peace, traditional values, patriotism, and civic consciousness,” he said.

Among the ongoing links with religious educational entities are inviting theologians to lecture at Kazan University, involving clerics into major educational and scientific events, holding meetings of the Archbishop with students, and others.

The two sides marked further steps in various areas of collaboration, including joint efforts on the platform of KFU’s Research and Education Center in Theology.

Source text: Leisan Zakirova

Translation: Yury Nurmeev

Photos: Kseniya Bogdanova