Russian Orthodox Church Honors Catholicos Marthoma Mathew the III of Malankara

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DECR – OCP News Service – 02/11/2024

Parumala – Kerala: The Russian Orthodox Church has bestowed a high honor upon His Holiness Catholicos Marthoma Matthew the III, the Primate of the Malankara Orthodox Church. In recognition of his significant contributions to inter-church relations and his 75th birthday, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, presented the Order of Glory and Honor (1st degree) to the Indian Orthodox leader on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

The award ceremony took place at the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Parumala, Kerala, following a Divine Liturgy celebrated by Catholicos Marthoma Matthew the III. The service was held on the commemoration day of Saint Gregorios  of Parumala.

Metropolitan Anthony highlighted the deep bond between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Malankara Church, which was forged during the future Catholicos’ time as a student at the Leningrad Theological Academy in the 1970s. He praised the Indian Orthodox leader’s efforts in strengthening inter-church ties and his advocacy for persecuted Christians, including his support for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Catholicos Marthoma Matthew the III expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the honor and recalled his visit to Russia in September 2023. He emphasized the strong potential for further cooperation and friendship between the two Churches.

Source:

OCP News Service