On May 30, 2024, a delegation of monastics of the Russian Orthodox Church led by Metropolitan Isidore of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh visited the residence of the Coptic Patriarchs in Abbassia (Cairo, Egypt), where they met with His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros II of the Coptic Church.
May 30, 2024.
From the side of the Moscow Patriarchate, the meeting was attended by: Bishop Anthony of Volgodonsk and Salsky; Archimandrite Philip (Ponamarchuk), Vicar of the Nikolo-Shartomsky Monastery of the Shuya Diocese; Hieromonk Stephen (Igumnov), Secretary of the Department for External Church Relations for Inter-Christian Relations; Archpriest Alexis Mashkov, rector of parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Egypt; hegumen Dionisy (Shlenov), vicar of the St. Andrew's Stavropegial Monastery in Moscow; hegumen Sergius (Shlenov), vicar of the St. Andrew's Stavropegial Monastery in Moscow. Moscow; hegumen Sergius (Kuxov), rector of the David's Desert of the Podolsk diocese; hegumen Daniel (Tsupikov), rector of the Gorno-Nikolsky Monastery of the Bryansk diocese; hegumen Nikolai (Zolotov), vicar of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Abrahamiev Monastery of the Smolensk diocese; Hieromonk Melchizedek (Skripkin), resident of the St. John the Theologian Monastery of the Ryazan Diocese; Hieromonk Mark (Akhmatkhanov), employee of the Department for External Church Relations; Priest Lev Garin, assistant to Metropolitan Isidor of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh; Abbess Agnia (Sudarikova), Mother Superior of Holy Trinity Belopesotsky Monastery of the Podolsk Diocese.
The Coptic side also invited Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Arab Republic of Egypt G.E. Borisenko, who was accompanied by the Secretary of the Russian Embassy M.Y. Kovalchuk.
From the side of the Coptic Church at the meeting were present: the chairman of the Patriarchal Commission for Monasteries and Monasticism, Metropolitan Daniel; the abbot of St. Thomas Monastery and St. Victor Monastery in Hatatba, Bishop Severius; head of the Personal Secretariat of the Coptic Patriarch, Hieromonk Cyril Anba Bishoy; the representative of the Coptic Church in Russia, Hieromonk Daoud el-Anthony; advisor to His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros A. Milad; head of the Patriarchal Department of the Coptic Patriarch. Milad; head of the Patriarchal Department for the realization of church projects B. Soliman.
A.
The Primate of the Coptic Church warmly welcomed the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church. His Holiness recalled his visits to Russia in 2014 and 2017 and his meetings with the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church: «Please convey my warmest greetings to my beloved colleague His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, my gratitude for his love for our Church and for his special attention to the development of our bilateral relations, the level of the Russian Orthodox Church's cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church, the level of the Russian Orthodox Church's cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church, the level of the Russian Orthodox Church's cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church, and the level of the Russian Orthodox Church's cooperation with Russia. Patriarch Tawadros also noted the Russian Orthodox Church's concern for Copts living in Russia. Patriarch Tawadros also noted the care of the Russian Orthodox Church for Copts living in Russia, in particular, for students of Russian universities.
Metropolitan Isidore, in turn, conveyed to the Primate of the Coptic Church the greetings of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow.
Metropolitan Isidore, in turn, conveyed to the Primate of the Coptic Church the greetings of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who pays special attention to the development of friendly inter-church relations. «It is a great honor for us to be guests of the Coptic Church, which is one of the oldest in the Christian world, and to visit the Egyptian land — the cradle of monasticism», — noted the Vladyka. According to Metropolitan Isidore, mutual visits of representatives of Russian and Egyptian monasticism, realized within the framework of the activities of the Commission for Inter-Church Dialogue, are an important and integral part of bilateral relations.
Addressing His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros, Ambassador G.E. Borisenko stated that the high level of interaction between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Coptic Church contributes to the strengthening of historical ties between Russia and Egypt.
Bishop Anthony of Volgodonsk and Salsky noted the significance of the martyr heritage of both Churches and the importance of sharing the experience of ministry in different areas of church life.
Bishop Anthony of Volgodonsk and Salsky noted the importance of sharing the experience of ministry in different areas of church life.
Hieromonk Stephen handed over to the Primate of the Coptic Church greetings from Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, and thanked His Holiness for his personal support of all projects related to the development of bilateral cooperation.
In conclusion, the Primate of the Coptic Church wished the Russian delegation a fruitful pilgrimage to the holy places of the Egyptian land.
His Holiness thanked His Holiness for his support of all projects to develop bilateral cooperation.
The same day, the guests visited the Cathedral of St. Mark the Apostle, where they venerated his relics and those of St. Athanasius of Alexandria, and also visited the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul the Apostles, honoring the memory of the new martyrs of the Coptic Church, who suffered here in 2016 and are now numbered among the saints.
The guests visited the Cathedral of St. Mark the Apostle, where they venerated his relics and those of St. Athanasius of Alexandria.
The delegation then visited the Cairo Monastery of the Great Martyr Theodore Stratilat (Amir Tadros), where they were hospitably received by Abbess Edrosis and the sisters. Pilgrims worshiped the spring located on the territory of the monastery, once revealed through the prayers of the Monk Onuphrius the Great, the myrrh-flowing icon of the Great Martyr Theodore Stratilat, part of the relics of the Holy Great Martyr Marina and other sacred relics carefully kept in the monastery.
In the evening the guests from Russia arrived in the Nitria Desert, where their pilgrimage will continue.
Communication Service OCA/Patriarchy.ru
