EPINAY-SOUS-SENART (Sputnik) — On Saturday, the patriarch began his visit to the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Chersonese. The diocese’s main cathedral – Cathedral of Three Holy Hierarchs – is situated in Paris. The visit is due to last trough Wednesday, and the patriarch is expected to visit not only Paris and its suburbs, but also Zurich, Switzerland, where he will attend the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of founding the Resurrection parish.
"I have not experienced any difficulties. A very large number of people with whom I met, were very kind toward Russia, and understand the role of the Russian-French relations, pay tribute to our common history… It is impossible not to pay tribute to our shared history!" the patriarch told reporters while on his visit to the Russian seminary in the French town of of Epinay-sous-Senart near Paris.
Speaking about the historical ties between the two countries, the patriarch recalled the events of World War I, when Russia was part of the Triple Entente, which also included France and the United Kingdom and expressed satisfaction with the fact that the French people remembered and honored the common episodes of the French-Russian history.