Vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations

Archpriest Nikolay Lischeniuk

Biography:

He was born on December the 9th, 1972 in the city of Buzuluk, Orenburg Region.

After the graduation from the Moscow Theological Schools, he was retained at the schools as assistant to the Academy pro-rector and continued working as such until Spring 2001.

On September 21, 1999, he was ordained as deacon and on December 4, 1999, as priest.

In 2000, he was appointed a staff priest of the Church of All the Saints-in-Kulishki - the representation of the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Moscow.

From 2001 to 2006 - rector of the Church of Great Martyr George the Victor under the Russian Federation Embassy in Prague, Czechia.

On April 11, 2006, he became the rector of the Karlovy Vary representation of the Russian Orthodox Church and representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.

By the 25 August 2022 decision of the Holy Synod of the Russia Orthodox Church, he was appointed vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations.

Education and academic degrees:

The Moscow Theological Seminary (1992). The Moscow Theological Academy (graduated in 1996 with the degree of Candidate of Theology). From 1996 to 1998, he attended the Moscow Theological Academy Post-Graduate Cause under the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations.

Awards:

Ecclesial:

He is granted liturgical awards including the right to celebrate the Divine Liturgy with the Holy Gates open after ‘The Cherubini Hymn’ (2019) and the right to wear the mitre.

· The Order of the Holy Prince Rostislav of Moravia, Degree III (Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands of Slovakia, 2004),

· Patriarchal diploma (2006)

· The Gold Star Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius (the Orthodox of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, 2009)

Secular:

· Medal of Pushkin (2019)

· The title of Honorary Citizen of the Czech city of Karlovy Vary (2020)