Primate of Malankara Orthodox Church Received Metropolitan Anthony of DECR

DECR – OCP News Service – 01/10/2023

Kottayam-Kerala-India: Primate of the Malankara Orthodox Church, His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews the Third received Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate on 28 September 2023 at Devalokam Catholicate Palace the administrative headquarters of the  Malankara Church.  

During their warm exchange, the Catholicos conveyed heartfelt well-wishes to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, expressing gratitude for his recent visit to Russia. This visit included significant encounters with the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, explorations of sacred sites in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and a poignant return to the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, where he had pursued studies from 1977 to 1979.

In response, Metropolitan Anthony extended a warm welcome to the Primate of the Malankara Orthodox Church on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. He also expressed gratitude for the gracious hospitality extended to the delegation from the Russian Orthodox Church during their visit to India.

The meeting encompassed discussions about various facets of collaboration between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Malankara Orthodox Church of India, as well as exploring other topics of mutual interest. In a fitting conclusion to their fraternal gathering, the participants exchanged souvenirs as tokens of goodwill.

Following the meeting, His Holiness Catholicos and Metropolitan Anthony paid a visit to the tombs, the final resting place of the late Primates of the Malankara Orthodox Church, paying homage to their memory.

Metropolitan Anthony was accompanied by DECR Secretary for Inter-Christian Relations Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov) and the Assistant to the Chairman of DECR Fr. Alexander Ershov.

Metropolitan Youhanon Demetrios of Delhi and President of the Department of Ecumenical Relations, Metropolitan Zacharias Aprem of Adoor-Kadampanad, and Fr. Ashwin Fernandes, Secretary of the Department of Ecumenical Relations also attended the meeting.

Source:

OCP News Service