Representative of the Russian Church took part in the Patriarchal service at the Assumption Cathedral in Damascus

DECR Communication Service, 30.06.2024.

On the 29th of June, the day of the commemoration of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul according to the New Julian calendar, at the invitation of His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Greater Antioch and All the East, Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' to the Patriarchal Throne of Antioch, took part in the Divine Liturgy at the Damascus Cathedral in honour of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God.

The Divine Liturgy was presided over by His Beatitude Patriarch John in the company of Orthodox hierarchs and various represantives in holy orders from various Local Churches.

The service was conducted in Arabic, Church Slavonic, Greek, French and Portuguese, according to the website of the Russian Orthodox Church Metochion in Damascus.

At the Liturgy, Archimandrite Philip presented His Beatitude Patriarch John with a holy panagia. Metropolitan Ephraim of Tripoli delivered a sermon on the theme of the feast.

After the dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude, Patriarch John, addressed the First Patriarchal Word to the attending hierarchs, clergy, and the many praying people, congratulating them on the feast day of the memory of the Holy Chiefs of the Apostles, Peter and Paul.

After the end of the service, a procession was held and the Syrian anthem was sung.

On the same day, Archimandrite Philip attended the "Breath of Antioch" concert organised by the Antiochian Orthodox Church on the occasion of the feast day of the memory of its founders, the Holy Chiefs of the Apostles, Peter and Paul. The concert programme included joint performances of the Patriarchal Choir under the direction of Archimandrite Meletius (Shattahi) and the instrumental orchestra of the State Opera and Ballet Theatre of Damascus under the direction of Andrei Al-Maaluli, who performed works by prominent composers of the Antiochian Church of the 19th and 20th centuries. The concert was attended by His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and the whole East, members of the Holy Synod of the Antioch Church, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Syria A.V. Efimov and numerous guests.

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Representative of the Russian Church took part in the Patriarchal service at the Assumption Cathedral in Damascus

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons