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Visit of the DECR Chairman to Ethiopia Begins

DECR Communication Service, 03.06.2026.

On June 3, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ and at the invitation of the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Church, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, arrived in the capital of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.

At the airport, the hierarch was welcomed by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Ethiopia, E.E. Terekhin, and Senior Counsellor of the Russian Embassy A.S. Chesnakov.

Upon arrival, Metropolitan Anthony proceeded to the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (Kidist Selassie), the principal church of the Ethiopian Church, located in the center of Addis Ababa. At the entrance to the cathedral, the guest was welcomed by Archbishop Abuna Philipos of South Omo, Co-Chairman of the Commission for Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Church; Fr. Daniel Seifemichael, representative of the Ethiopian Patriarchate; and the clergy of the cathedral.

The DECR Chairman visited the mausoleum of the last Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I (1930–1974), and his wife, located in the left aisle of the cathedral, as well as the museum dedicated to the life and ministry of this sovereign. On the grounds adjacent to the cathedral, Metropolitan Anthony visited the burial places of the Primates of the Ethiopian Church and the memorial to the Ethiopian New Martyrs who suffered for the faith in the twentieth century.

During the visit, which will last three days, Metropolitan Anthony will hold meetings with His Holiness Patriarch Abune Mathias and members of the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Church, representatives of the leadership of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and compatriots residing in the country. The DECR Chairman will visit churches and monasteries of the Ethiopian Church, its principal institution of higher learning, the Holy Trinity University, as well as the Russian Red Cross Hospital in the Ethiopian capital, one of the oldest Russian medical institutions on the African continent.

Accompanying Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk on the trip are Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), Secretary for Inter-Christian Affairs of the DECR, and Fr. Alexander Ershov, Assistant to the DECR Chairman.

Print publication

Visit of the DECR Chairman to Ethiopia Begins

DECR Communication Service, 03.06.2026.

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Department Chairman

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Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons