Department for External Church Relations
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His Holiness Patriarch Kirill receives a delegation of the Malankara Church of India
DECR Communication Service, 19/07/2025
On 18th July 2025, in the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius Lavra, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ received a delegation of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC).
The delegation of the Malankara Church included Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos of the Northeast American Diocese; Metropolitan Youhanon Mar Demetrios, president of the Department of Ecumenical Relations; Metropolitan Abraham Mar Stephanos of the Diocese of UK-Europe and Africa; Priest Aswin Fernandis, executive secretary of the Department of Ecumenical Relations; Priest Abey George, secretary of the Northeast American Diocese; Priest Eldos Aliyas, manager of the Parumala Seminary; Priest Vivek Varghese, general secretary of the Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Student Movement; Priest Antony Marvin D’Silva, cleric of the Diocese of Brahmavar; Priest Aaron Joshua John, cleric of the Diocese of Delhi; Mr Donn George Varghese, secretary of the Pan-Orthodox Christian Organisation; Mr Jobin Baby of the MOSC’s Gregorian TV; and Mr Ribin Raju, MOSC’s public relations officer.
Greeting the guests, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill pointed out the importance of the growing relationship between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Malankara Catholicosate and emphasized the role of the Church of the Apostle Thomas in bearing witness to the Gospel in the Indian land.
Metropolitan Abraham Mar Stephanos thanked the Primate of the Russian Church for the warm welcome and conveyed to him cordial greetings from the Primate of the Malankara Church, His Holiness Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews III. On behalf of H.H. Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, he also expressed prayerful support to Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk, who remains in custody, as well as to Metropolitan Theodosy of Cherkasy and Kaniv and all the faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who are being subjected to persecution.
Taking part in the meeting was also Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations.
On 17th – 18th July, the Malankara Church representatives attended the Patriarchal divine services that took place at the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius Lavra to mark the commemoration day of the Holy Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. While in Russia, the delegation members will take part in the 4th meeting of the Working Group for Coordinating Bilateral Relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
The delegation of the Malankara Church includes members of its monastic community and the media. While in Russia, they will visit various monasteries of the Russian Church as part of the monastic exchange programme, film a documentary about the Russian monasticism and current stage in the two Churches’ bilateral relations, and seek opportunities to promote cooperation with the Synodal Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Media.
On their visit, the guests are accompanied by Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations, and Hieromonk Mark (Akhmatkhanov) of the DECR Secretariat for Inter-Christian Relations.
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