Delegation from Egypt led by Chairman of Coptic Church’s Patriarchal Committee for Monasticism and Monasteries arrives in Russia

DECR Communication Service, 27/01/2026

On 26^th January 2026, at the invitation of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’, and with the blessing of His Holiness Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II, a delegation of the Coptic Orthodox Church arrived in Russia. It is led by Bishop Danial, a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Church, Chairman of the Patriarchal Committee for Monasticism and Monasteries and Abbot of St. Paul Monastery in the Eastern Desert near Red Sea.

The delegation includes Abbess Nun Bacilia, Abbess of the Convent of St. Mary in Zweila (Old Cairo); Hieromonk Dawood El Antony, Representative of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Russia; Hieromonk Agathon El Anba Paula, a coenobite of St. Paul Monastery; Nun Anastasia of the Convent of St. Mary in Zweila (Old Cairo); and Doctor Anton Milad, Patriarchal Advisor.

The representatives of the Coptic Church arrived in Russia to take part in the 34^th International Christmas Educational Readings. They will participate, in particular, in a special section that will focus on the Egyptian origins of Christian monasticism and its importance for the Russian monastic tradition.

In addition, the guests will attend the celebrations marking the 17^th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’.

Celebrated for the first time on this year’s anniversary of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill’s enthronement will also be the commemoration day of the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers, the Founders of Monasticism, and All Saints Who Shone Forth in the Egyptian Land. It is a new feast established by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on 30^th October 2025.

Meeting the Coptic delegation at the Domodedovo Airport were: Metropolitan Isidor of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh, Co-Chairman of the Commission for Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church; Bishop Tikhon of Vidnoye, Father Superior of St. Catherine’s Stavropegic Monastery in Vidnoye; Mother Juliania (Kaleda), Mother Superior of the Moscow Stavropegic Convent of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos, Deputy Chair of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism of the Russian Orthodox Church; Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), Secretary for Inter-Christian Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; Hegumen Sergiy (Kuksov), Abbot of the Holy Ascension and St. David Hermitage; Priests Lev Garin and Konstantin Garin, clerics of the Smolensk Metropolia; and Mr Sergei Alferov, DECR staff member.

Upon their arrival, the delegation members visited the Chapel of Archangel Michael located in the territory of the Domodedovo Airport, where they attended a prayer service for invoking the help of the Holy Spirit before any good work, celebrated by Hegumen Sergiy (Kuksov).

After that, they departed for the Stavropegic Convent of the Intercession of the Mother of God, where they will stay while in Moscow. There, the guests venerated the holy relics of St. Matrona of Moscow and received a cordial welcome from Mother Feofaniya (Miskina) and sisters of the convent.

Later that day, an official reception was given in honour of the Coptic delegation members. Among those in attendance was Mr Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, who warmly greeted the guests. Attending the reception were also the representatives of the Russian Church who had met the Coptic delegation earlier that day at the Domodedovo Airport, and Mother Yelisaveta (Pozdnyakova), Abbess of Saints Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy in Moscow.