Patriarch John X of Antioch Received Metropolitan Anthony of DECR

OCP News Service – 29/01/2024

Damascus – Syria: Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations visited Patriarch John X of Antioch in Damascus on January 29, 2024. The visit was part of the working trip of the Russian delegation to Syria.

During the meeting, Patriarch John X of Antioch expressed gratitude to the Russian Orthodox Church for its support of Orthodox Christians in the Middle East, particularly in Syria and Lebanon. Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsky, in response, thanked Patriarch John for the hospitality extended to the Russian delegation and commended the Antioch Patriarchate for its defense of the Church’s canonical foundations and its efforts to maintain the unity of world Orthodoxy. The discussions covered a range of issues, including inter-Orthodox and international relations and the prospects for deepening cooperation between the Russian and Antioch Orthodox Churches. The meeting concluded with an exchange of gifts.

The meeting was notable for its high-profile attendees, including A.V. Efimov, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Syrian Arab Republic. Joining them were Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, Advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, Deputy Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Service; Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia under the Patriarch of Antioch and the entire East; and Priest Alexander Ershov, assistant chairman of the AECS. The Antioch Patriarchate was represented by Bishop Roman of Seleucius, the chief secretary of the Holy Synod; Bishop Moses of Daray; Bishop John of Sergiopol; and Professor H. Riseh, former ambassador of Syria to Russia.

Additionally, the Russian Orthodox Church delegation visited the Church of Rev. Paisia in the Jeraman area and the Church of Rev. John Damascus in Damascus. Metropolitan Anthony also held a separate meeting with Ambassador A.V. Efimov, which was attended by members of his delegation, including Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), and Priest Alexander Ershov.

Source:
OCP News Service