A monastic delegation of the Coptic Church arrives in Russia

DECR Communication service, 31.08.2025.

On August 31, 2025, at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and with the blessing of His Holiness Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II, a delegation of representatives of Egyptian monasticism arrived in Moscow to undertake a pilgrimage to Orthodox monasteries in Russia.

The trip takes place within the context of the development of dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church and is part of a project of annual mutual visits by Russian and Coptic monastics.

The delegation includes: Bishop Stefan of Beheira and El-Fashn, a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Church – head of the delegation; Bishop Mark of Paris and Northern France; Priest Athanasius Adel, a cleric of the Diocese of Beheira and El-Fashn; Deacon Rami Rizk, an employee of the Coptic Patriarchate; Sisters Mary Ishak and Agathia Shahat, servants of the Diocese of Beheira and El-Fashn; Sister Marcella Ishak, a servant of the Asyut Diocese; Sister Mira Nabil, a servant of the Asyut Diocese; Sisters Julitta Fouad and Theopistia Sayed, residents of the Monastery of the Great Martyr Damiana of Egypt (Dakahlia Governorate); Sisters Axia Samir and Batula George, servants of the Borg El Arab Diocese.

The guests were welcomed at Domodedovo International Airport by: Metropolitan Arseny of Zvenigorod, Vicar of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', Administrator of the Northeastern Vicariate of the Moscow (City) Diocese; Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), Secretary of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate for Inter-Christian Relations; Hegumen Sergiy (Kukosov), Abbot of the Voznesenskaya Davidova Hermitage; Abbess Elisabeth (Pozdnyakova), Abbess of the Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy; Hieromonk Daoud el-Antony, Representative of the Coptic Church in Russia; Dr. A. Milad, Advisor to the Coptic Patriarch; and S.G. Alferov, an employee of the DECR.

The program of the visit began with a visit to the Pokrovsky Stavropegial Convent, which will serve as the delegation’s accommodation in Moscow. On behalf of the Abbess of the convent, Hegumenia Feofaniya (Miskina), a festive reception was held in honor of the guests from Egypt.

The delegation’s stay within the Russian Orthodox Church will last until September 8. The visit includes plans to visit monasteries and churches in Moscow and the Moscow region, as well as holy sites in the metropolitanates of Nizhny Novgorod, Mordovia, and Ryazan, including the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery, the Nativity of the Theotokos Sanaxar Monastery, and the Dormition Vyshenskaya Hermitage.

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A monastic delegation of the Coptic Church arrives in Russia

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