Department for External Church Relations
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DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations meets with the Primate of the Church of India
DECR Communication Service, 29.07.2022.
On July 27, in Kunnamkulam town, Kerala State, India, there took place a meeting of the Primate of the Malankara Church, Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, with hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), secretary for inter-Christian relations of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR). They were joined at the meeting by Metropolitan Geervarghese Mar Yulios of Ahmedabad, a member of the Holy Synod of Malankara Church, and Rev. Aswin Zefrin Fernandis, head of the Catholicos’ Protocol Service.
The DECR secretary conveyed to the Catholicos greetings of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ and congratulated him on his enthronement as the Primate of the Malankara Church on the ancient Apostolic Throne of St. Thomas.
Discussed during a long talk were issues pertaining to interchurch dialogue. Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews III highly praised the level of cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Malankara Church, including the projects being implemented by the Working group for coordinating the bilateral relations between them set up further to the 2019 meeting of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ and His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, Catholicos of the Malankara Church.
The Primate of the Malankara Church recalled with warm feelings his years as student of the Leningrad Theological Academy (1977-79) and his acquaintance with Metropolitan Nikodim of Leningrad and Novgorod and with the then rector of the Academy, Archbishop Kirill of Vyborg, now the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’.
Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews III expressed his wish to visit Russia thus beginning his visits as the Primate of the Malankara Church.
Hieromonk Stefan is attending the church-wide festivities of the Malankara Church in India with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’.
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