Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Anthony presents report to the Holy Synod on his visits to Lebanon, Albania, Italy, Serbia and Armenia.

DECR Communication service, 20.03.2025. 

On 20^th March the members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church listened to a report by the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate the metropolitan of Volokolamsk Anthony on his visits to Lebanon, Albania, Italy, Serbia and Armenia (minute no.15).

Fr om 25^th to 26^th January 2025, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the metropolitan of Volokolamsk went on a working visit to Lebanon. The DECR chairman held talks with His Beatitude the Patriarch of Antioch John X and met with the Russian ambassador to Lebanon A.N. Rudakov.

On 30^th January metropolitan Anthony, with the blessing of His Holiness, visited the Albanian capital Tirana to attend the funeral service and burial of His Beatitude the Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania Anastasios. The DECR chairman prayed at the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Resurrection, which was headed by the locum tenens of the Archiepiscopal Throne of the Albanian Orthodox Church the metropolitan of Korçë John.

From 15^th to 16^th February, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the metropolitan of Volokolamsk Anthony visited the city of Bari in Italy. On 15^th February the DECR chairman celebrated he Divine Liturgy in the Basilica of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. On the same day a meeting was held between metropolitan Anthony and the Roman Catholic archbishop of Bari and Bitonto Giuseppe Satriano and the rector of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in Bari Father Giovanni Distante. On 16^th February metropolitan Antony celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Saint Nicholas Patriarchal metochion in Bari.

From 25^th to 27^th February the DECR chairman paid a visit to the capital of Serbia Belgrade wh ere he met with His Holiness the Patriarch of Serbia Profirije and the metropolitan of Bačka Irinej. A telephone conversation was held between the Primates of the Serbian and Russian Orthodox Churches. The metropolitan of Volokolamsk Anthony concelebrated with His Holiness the Patriarch of Serbia Porfirije at the Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the patronal feast day of Saint Simeon the Myrrh-streaming in New Belgrade.

From 17^th to 19^th March, with the blessing of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, the metropolitan of Volokolamsk Anthony visited Armenia. On 18^th March in Etchmiadzin a meeting took place between the head of the DECR and the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II. Metropolitan Anthony presented the Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church with the Order of Saint Alexis of Moscow, 1^st Degree, on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his Patriarchal ministry.

The Holy Synod duly noted the report by the chairman of the DECR.