Department for External Church Relations
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Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk has arrived in Egypt
DECR Communication Service, 06.11.2022.
On November 6, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, with a blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, arrived in Cairo.
The aim of the visit is to meet with His Holiness Tawadros II, Patriarch of the Coptic Church, in the days when the Primate of the Coptic Church celebrates his 70th birthday and the 10th anniversary of his election to the Patriarchal see.
Upon his arrival, Metropolitan Anthony visited Cairo’s historical Christian city centre to venerate its shrines. He also went to the famous ‘Suspended Church’ (al-Muʿallaqa), which was built on the ruins of the ancient Roman fortress ‘Egyptian Babylon’ and for a long time had been Coptic Patriarchs’ cathedral. He also visited the Church of Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus to venerate these saints of the first centuries of the Christian era. The church was built in the 4th century over the grotto in which the Holy Family stayed for three month during their forced flight to Egypt to escape Herod’s persecution. Metropolitan Anthony also visited the church built in that grotto the first foundation of which dates back to 58 AD.
Then he visited the church of Protomartyr Barbara in which a part of her holy relics and a part of the relics of Ss Juliana and Damian and other saints are kept. His Eminence also visited the Convent of Holy and Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer (Mar-Gigris) where he was warmly welcomed by Mother Superior Thecla who expressed great joy over the visit to the convent by a high-ranking representative of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Metropolitan Anthony will meet with His Holiness Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II on November 7.
During his trip, the DECR chairman is accompanied by Hieromonk Stephen (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations, Rev. Alexander Ershov, assistant to the DECR chairman, and Dr Anton Milad, adviser to the Coptic Patriarch.
Patriarch
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