His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with religious leaders on the sidelines of the Congress in Astana

DECR Communication Service, 18/09/2025

On 17^th – 18^th September 2025, while visiting Kazakhstan to take part in the VIII Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ met with leaders of various religious communities, Patriarchal Press Service reports.

On 17^th September, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill met with Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia. In the course of a friendly conversation, they discussed the situation in the Middle East and pointed out the importance of inter-Christian dialogue and cooperation between the Russian and the Armenian Churches within the framework of the World Council of Churches.

Later, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church met with the Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, Nauryzbai kazhy Taganuly. They exchanged opinions on Orthodox-Muslim relations in Russia and Kazakhstan and emphasised the positive role of interfaith dialogue in building up a peaceful and just society.

After that, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill met with Shaykh al-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board. In an atmosphere of warmth and trust, the leaders of the two communities discussed various issues of mutual interest.

In the evening, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ met with His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem. The Primates of the two Churches exchanged views on recent developments in the Holy Land and the current state of inter-Orthodox relations, and discussed other matters.

On 18^th September, His Holiness met with the Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad. The meeting focused on different aspects of the relationship between the two Churches, as well as the interfaith and inter-Christian dialogue. Cardinal Koovakad had been appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue in the early 2025, after the death of Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot.

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His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with religious leaders on the sidelines of the Congress in Astana

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