Monastic delegation of Russian Orthodox Church arrives in Egypt

DECR Communication Service, 28/04/2026

On 23^rd April 2026, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ and at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church, a monastic delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church arrived in Egypt. The goal of the visit is to undertake a pilgrimage to the sites associated with the origin of Christian monasticism and the flourishing period in its history and to learn about the present-day life of monasteries and convents of the Coptic Church.

The delegation included: Metropolitan Zinovy of Saransk and Mordovia; Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol; Archbishop Irinarkh of Novopskov, Vicar of the Severodonetsk Diocese; Bishop Siluan of Pavlovsky Posad; Bishop Porfiry of Ozery, Father Superior of the Holy Transfiguration Solovki Monastery; Bishop Mikhail of Yugorsk and Nyagan; Hegumenness Juliania (Kaleda), Abbess of the Conception Convent in Moscow; Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), DECR Secretary for Inter-Christian Relations; Hegumen Boris (Tulupov), Abbot of St. Nicholas Monastery at Malitsa (Tver Diocese); Priest Dimitry Artemkin, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Theology of the Moscow Theological Academy; Priest Andrei Titushkin, DECR staff member; Hegumenness Viktorina (Perminova), Abbess of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos Convent in Moscow; Hegumenness Varvara (Ivanova), Abbess of St. Nicholas Klobukov Convent (Tver Diocese); Deacon Sergy Panteleyev, Associate Professor at the Department of Theology of the Moscow Theological Academy; Nuns Sergiya (Gazaryan) and Ioannikiya (Zhdanova) of the Conception Convent in Moscow; Nun Sergiya (Inutina) of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos Convent in Moscow; and Nuns Zosima (Khomyakova) and Alipiya (Khorsun) from the Diocese of Donetsk.

Hieromonk Dawood El Antony, Representative of the Coptic Church in Russia, arrived in Egypt with the delegation. Taking part in the trip are also Deacon Sergy Shutalev, Subdecaon A.I. Andronov and DECR staff members – I.A. Nikolayev and S.V. Mikhaylova.

At the Cairo Airport, the delegation was met by representatives of the Patriarchal Committee for Monasticism and Monasteries of the Coptic Orthodox Church, as well as Priest Dimitry Gurov, cleric of the Deanery of Egypt of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, and Dr. Anton Milad, Advisor to the Coptic Patriarch.

During their trip, which will end on 30^th April, the delegation members will visit the Monasteries of Saints Anthony the Great and Paul of Thebes in the Eastern Desert, monasteries in Wadi el-Natrun and Christian holy sites in Cairo.

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Monastic delegation of Russian Orthodox Church arrives in Egypt

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