His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with Iran’s Ambassador to Russia

DECR Communication Service, 30/07/2026

On 30^th July 2026, at the Patriarchal Residence in the Monastery of St. Daniel in Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ met with Mr Kazem Jalali, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Russian Federation.

Taking part in the meeting on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church were also Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, and Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, DECR Secretary for Far Abroad Countries.

Among those present were also Mr Abdolreza Rashed, Head of the Cultural Office at the Iranian Embassy; Mr Hojjat al-Islam wal-Muslimin Mahdi Bakhtavar, Counsellor of the Iranian Embassy; and Ms Zahra Rashid Beigi, the Embassy’s Cultural Attaché.

Greeting Ambassador Kazem Jalali, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church recalled their previous meeting, saying, “We talked about our bilateral relations and the importance of dialogue between our two religions. I am very glad to resume our brotherly dialogue and contacts.”

Ambassador Kazem Jalali handed over to the head of the Russian Church a missive from the current Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. In his letter, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei thanks His Holiness Patriarch Kirill for his condolences over the murder of his father, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, in February 2026, and for his later message of congratulations on Mojtaba Khamenei’s election as Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In addition, the missive emphasizes the importance of maintaining and expanding further the relations between the peoples of Russia and Iran.

“It is with a heavy heart that I learn of people’s sufferings caused by ongoing armed conflicts in various regions of the world and, of course, I am concerned over the current developments in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said, “I pray for all those who are going through these hard ordeals, for those who have lost their relatives and friends, and for the soonest establishment of peace and justice. And I believe that even in the most trying times we need to strive for dialogue and mutual respect and do all we can to stop violence and conflicts, so that there may be peace and mutual understanding between representatives of our two religions.”

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill noted that he highly valued the ongoing dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and Iran. “Our joint Commission for Dialogue between Orthodoxy and Islam shows similarity of our standpoints on many present-day problems. This dialogue began many years ago, but the Commission does not lose its importance. Perhaps, it is because we feel that Muslims and Orthodox Christians have similar views on many issues on today’s agenda,” Patriarch Kirill said.

His Holiness then highlighted the issues on which the views of Muslims and Orthodox Christians coincided and which could open avenues for further dialogue. They pertain to morality, the role of religion in social life and the attitude to family and marriage. “It is important for us as traditional religions to keep God-given commandments and uphold the values, whose disruption may lead to the erosion of human personality and the entire society,” Patriarch Kirill pointed out.

His Holiness also noted the significance of the academic dialogue between the Iranian religious schools and the Kazan Theological Seminary, which has already produced practical results and will in future be making its contribution to further development of bilateral relations.

During the meeting, Ambassador Kazem Jalali mentioned that among those who had attended the farewell ceremony for the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, had been high-ranking statespersons from the Russian Federation, including the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, Mr Dmitry Medvedev, as well as Muslim religious leaders and representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church.

As Mr Jalali also pointed out, every day sees further development of Russia-Iran relations, ties and contacts that lay emphasis on human values and the spread of spirituality in the world.

The importance of the institution of family, peace and justice are the values that play a uniting role for the two countries and peoples, the Iranian Ambassador added. “We are now in a ‘golden era’ of our relationship, and our leaders understand each other’s language well. We are very glad that Islam and Orthodoxy have strong good ties,” Mr Kazem Jalali said in conclusion.