Coptic Orthodox Students to Study at Smolensk Orthodox Theological Seminary

DECR and OCP News Service – 15/02/2025

Moscow- Russia: On February 11,2025, with the assistance of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Smolensk Orthodox Theological Seminary began teaching students from the Coptic Orthodox Church for the first time.

The corresponding agreement was reached by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ and His Holiness Pope Tawadros II Primate of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate at the suggestion of the Bilateral Commission for Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The following are taking part in the training at the Smolensk Seminary: Hierodeacon Maximus el-Anba Paula, resident of the St. Paul Monastery; Hierodeacon Jerom el-Anba Bishoy, resident of the St. Bishoy Monastery; Mr. Isaac Shehata, employee of the El-Minya Diocese.

The curator of the individual curriculum developed for the Coptic representatives is Mrs. Olga Ivanina, teacher of the program of the Department of Foreign Students of the Smolensk Seminary. The consultant for the project is Mr. Sergei Alferov, DECR officer & senior teacher of the Department of Church-Practical Disciplines of the Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute for Post-Graduate Studies in Moscow.

The first part of the program is conducted in online format. Students are expected to arrive in Smolensk soon.

Nowadays, Coptic students are also studying or have already completed their studies at the Moscow and St. Petersburg Theological Academies. Various academic initiatives in cooperation with the Coptic Church are being implemented by the Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute, as well.

Source:

OCP News Services and DECR