Appointed Assistant (Vicar) Bishop in the Diocese of Sourozh in the UK, but as a result of an acute conflict situation around him and at Metropolitan Anthony's request,[6] the Holy Synod decided, only a few months later, on 17 July 2002, that he was to be transferred and nominated as Head of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions in Brussels.

On 7 May 2003 appointed Bishop of Vienna and Austria, administrator of the Diocese of Budapest and Hungary, in addition to his position in Brussels, which he continues to hold.

(...) In the 1990s, we had a very difficult streak in relations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, who unilaterally created its own church jurisdiction in our canonical territory, namely, in Estonia.

[19] His books have also been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Greek, Serbian, Finnish, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Czech, Swedish, Estonian, Georgian, Armenian (see below).

On the other hand, a Washington Post review described a 2011 performance of the Oratorio as "banal music that seemed the Russian equivalent of the cheesy carol arrangements by John Rutter".

[24] Other critics, however, are more favorable to Alfeyev's music, noting that "while they're not on the level of Johann Sebastian Bach, the compositions are sophisticated, and they're easy on the ear.

"[25] Some go even further by stating that "the music of composer Hilarion (Alfeyev) is bright, powerful and rigorous, but at the same time it is distinguished by the subtlest lyricism... His compositions penetrate a human soul; they are clear and accessible to everyone.

[30] Alfeyev was a member of the Executive and Central Committees of the World Council of Churches, of the Presidium of 'Faith and Order' Commission, as well as of numerous bilateral theological dialogues.

[31] On 10 October 2007, Alfeyev walked out of an important meeting of the Orthodox–Catholic International Theological Commission at Ravenna, in protest against the choice of delegates by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

In September 2009, at the invitation of Cardinal Walter Kasper, he visited Pope Benedict XVI and several officials of the Roman Curia who have key roles in Catholic ecumenical dialogue.

In April 2017, he expressed his approval of the Supreme Court of Russia's decision to allow a ban of the worship of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation.

He claims that "they erode the psyche of people and the family" (e.g. disfellowshiping), and that those Witnesses' beliefs which do not coincide with those of the Orthodox Church, such as the rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity, are reason to outlaw their religion.

[36] In March 2022, the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) wrote a letter to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, asking him to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Many Western media have speculated that his dismissal and transfer were due to pressure from the Russian government because of Hilarion's refusal to back the war.

[1][2][3] In July 2024, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church suspended Hilarion from his position as metropolitan of Budapest and Hungary, pending an investigation, following the 2024 accusations of sexual abuse by his cell-attendant, who is also referred to as an intern or sub-deacon.