Department for External Church Relations
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Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk meets with Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II
DECR Communication Service, 05/09/2026
On 4th September 2026, at the Patriarchal Residence in Etchmiadzin, a meeting took place between the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II, and the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk.
Taking part in the meeting on behalf of the Moscow Patriarchate were also Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov, DECR Deputy Chairman; Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, DECR Secretary for Far Abroad Countries; and Priest Nikolai Vasin, Secretary to the DECR Chairman. Representing the Armenian Apostolic Church were also Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisian, Director of the External Relations and Protocol Department of the Holy Etchmiadzin; Archimandrite Garegin Hambardzumyan, Director of the Interchurch Relations Department; Archpriest Vahram Melikyan, Director of the Office of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; and Priest Yessai Artenyan, Director of the Information Department of the Holy Etchmiadzin.
The DECR chairman thanked the Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church for the meeting and conveyed to him greetings from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’. Metropolitan Anthony also handed over to Catholicos Karekin II a letter from Patriarch Kirill in which His Holiness expressed his good wishes to the head of the Armenian Church on the occasion of his 75th birthday.
Metropolitan Anthony told His Holiness Karekin II about the work of the round table meeting entitled ‘The Russian Orthodox Church and Compatriots: Experience of Cooperation in European Countries,’ which had taken place in Yerevan on 3rd – 4th September 2026.
The Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians warmly greeted the guests and conveyed his gratitude to Patriarch Kirill for his message of greetings and support for the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The participants in the meeting discussed present-day relations between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Armenian Apostolic Church and their prospects. An exchange of commemorative gifts also took place.
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