From 15 to 20 May, the head of the Ethiopian Church, Abuna Matthias, will visit Russia; the visit of the Catholicos will take place at the invitation of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. During the trip, Abuna Matthias plans to get acquainted with the activities of higher educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church, including St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, as well as the Moscow Theological Academy, Church-wide postgraduate and doctoral studies. The head of the Ethiopian Church plans to hold meetings with both the leadership and representatives of the teaching corporation, and with students. Recall that the Ethiopian Church is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, existing since the 4th century. Until relatively recently (1959), it was part of the Coptic, and after that it gained independence and the right to independently choose a primate. Archbishop of Jerusalem Abuna Matthias is the sixth Catholicos of Ethiopia. Already a bishop of the church, in 1980 he opposed the communist regime of Derg, after which he was forced to spend 13 years abroad. Returned to Ethiopia, he was appointed Archbishop of North America - and in 2009 he returned to the Jerusalem See. Abuna Matthias was elected Catholicos of Ethiopia in 2013.
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