Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of Volokolamsk of the Russian Orthodox Church has sent Major Archbishop Metropolitan Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Catholic Church congratulations on his enthronement this past Sunday.
In his congratulation Metropolitan Hilarion expressed the hope that the Russian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic Churches can "gradually resolve acute and painful problems that accumulated over the years to the [better] welfare and prosperity of the Ukrainian people," stating that "the Moscow Patriarchate is ready to develop constructive discussions with the [Ukrainian] Catholic Church ... aimed at overcoming the existing difficulties."