| Attending the festive reception were the mother superior of Convent of the Conception abbess Juliania (Kaleda), the mother superior of the Saints Martha and Mary Convent abbess Elizabeth (Posdnyakova), the secretary of the Department of External Church Relations for inter-Christian relations hieromonk Stephan (Igumnov), the representative of the Coptic Church in Moscow hieromonk Daoud el Antoni, the representative of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism and inmate of the Sretensky stauropegic monastery hieromonk Agathangel (Divlatov) and coworker of the DECR S.G. Alferov. At the request of abbess Victorina the guests spoke about the history and contemporary life of Coptic monasticism and answered the sisters’ numerous questions. The abbess shared her personal memories of her visit to the ancient monasteries of Egypt in November of 2018 as part of a delegation of monastics of the Russian Orthodox Church. The guests then went on a walk around the historical centre of the Russian capital, visiting the Monastery of the Saviour-Beyond-the Icons, Red Square and Christ the Saviour Cathedral, and then met with the faithful of the Coptic parish in Moscow. The delegation’s visit continued on 22nd August as they set off for the metropolitanate of Yaroslavl. Making up the delegation were: the father superior of the Monastery of Saint John in el Alamein in the Egyptian province of Matrouch bishop Discoros as head of the delegation; the administrator of the diocese of Luxor bishop Joseph; the auxiliary of the diocese of Luxor bishop Joachim; the father superior of the Monastery of the Holy Martyr Thomas and the Monastery of the Holy Martyr Victor in Hadab in the province of South Sinai bishop Thomas; the father superior of the Monastery of Saint Pachomius the Great in the province of Aswan bishop Arsenius; the secretary of the Patriarchal residence in Alexandria archpriest Abraham Emil Nagi; inmate of the Monastery of Saint Pachomius the Great hieromonk Anthony el Bahomi; the dean of the Monastery of Saint Paul of Thebes in the eastern desert of the Red Sea hieromonk Cherubim anba-Pula; inmate of the Monastery of Saint Paul of Thebes hieromonk Poemen anba-Pula; Patriarchal advisor Doctor Anton Milad; and coworker of the Coptic Patriarchate and special representative for church construction Doctor Adel Elmenchavi. |
| The Valamo monastery has had a long and glorious history. It was established in the 12th century by the Byzantine monk St. Sergius and his Finnish disciple St. German, on the border between the lands of Novgorod and Sweden. In the next few centuries it became one of the greatest centers of Eastern monasticism. From the beginning of the 15th century it was known as the “Great Lavra” and its spiritual outreach became immense. At that time the monastery had twelve sketes on the shore of Lake Ladoga. In the following century, however, the monastery suffered significant damage by the Swedes who, in 1578, attacked and in the process killed eighteen elders and sixteen novices. In the following years the monastery was burned. Restorative help came from the Russian tsars, who rebuilt the monastery’s cloister. However, in the 16th century Karelia was taken over by Sweden once again, and Valamo was burned and became deserted. When Peter the Great reincorporated Western Karelia into the Russian Empire, he also rebuilt the monastery, but the end ofthe 18th century brought more trouble to Valamo, as Catherine the Great deprived Russian monasteries of their holdings. A major revival of the monastic life there was initiated by the followers and disciples of St. Paisy Velichkovsky. In the late 18th century Hieromonk Nazary, an elder from the Sarov Hermitage, introduced the Sarov Rule in Valamo, which revivified the spiritual tradition of the place. As higumen he also designed and constructed the five- domed stone Cathedral of the Transfiguration. In 1794 Higumen Nazary blessed eight monks from Valamo and Konevitsa to go to establish an Orthodox mission in Alaska. St. Herman, the first Orthodox saint of America, was one of those monks. At the beginning of the 19th century Tsar Alexander I visited the Valamo monastery and granted it a first-class status. Towards the middle of the 19th century, under the spiritual guidance of Higumen Damaskin, Valamo became one of the major pilgrimage sites for Russian intellectuals. The 20th century, however, did not prove a fruitful time for the monastery. In 1918, after the Russian Revolution, the buildings became the property of the Finnish Orthodox Church, which in the next few years became independent of Russian influence. The newly established church sought visible symbolic reforms. It adapted the Gregorian calendar for its liturgical purposes, but this change was rejected by a large part of the monastic community. The repression of the dissident monks soon followed, and as a result several of them fled to the Soviet Union, and others to Serbia. The exiled monks brought with them the tradition of Valamo to various parts of the world, including Western Europe, North America, and Africa. |
| The delegation will enjoy the hospitality of the Russian Orthodox Church until 1st September. They intend to visit the holy places and historical and cultural sites in the metropolitanates of Moscow, Tver, Novgorod and St. Petersburg, as well as monasteries of the Russian North. The connections between the peoples of historical Russia and Egypt’s Christians have deep roots. Ever since the beginnings of Russian history, the gazes of our pious forefathers have been directed towards the lands of the Christian East as described in the Bible. Russian pilgrims’ interest was drawn not only towards Palestine, Syria and Asia Minor, but also towards Egypt, the home of Christian monasticism and the land where the Holy Family lived for a number of years. During pilgrimages contacts occurred between Christians of Old Russia and Egypt. Among the latter the majority is comprised of the faithful of the Coptic Church which, along with the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Malankara, Ethiopian and Eritrean Churches, belongs to the family of the Ancient Oriental Churches of the pre-Chalcedon tradition. It is the Coptic Christians who are the guardians of the holy places of the Egyptian land and the heirs of the traditions of monasticism founded by this ancient nation such as St. Anthony the Great, St. Paul of Thebes, St. Macarius the Great, Paisius the Great, Pachomius the Great and many others. In 1845 and 1850 Egypt was visited by the head of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem archimandrite Porphyrius (Uspensky), whose autograph can be seen on the wall of the main cathedral of the Coptic Monastery of St. Anthony the Great in the Eastern Desert near the Red Sea. It was at this time that he wrote a small number of monographs on the Coptic Church. These works were quite familiar to the Copts themselves back in the nineteenth century, as were the works of such Russian saints as Philaret of Moscow, Theophanes the Recluse, Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) and the righteous John of Kronstadt. |
| In the 4th century, the Eucharistic prayers of the two most prominent liturgies of the Eastern Church-the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, and the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople (d. 407)-were substantially formulated. The catechetical sermons of Saint John Chrysostom, together with those of Saint Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem (d. 386), show that the sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation were being celebrated in the fourth century almost exactly as they are done in the Orthodox Church today. By this time, the 40-Day Great Lent and the Feast of Pascha (Easter) were well established. And the Feast of the Nativity of Christ (Christmas) was separated from the Feast of Theophany (Epiphany), thus becoming a separate feast of the Church (see Worship). Monasticism With the end of the era of persecution and the rapid growth of Christianity in the cities, many Christians, both men and women, were drawn to wilderness areas to serve God alone, and to fight the devil. Some lived completely in isolation as hermits. Others lived near famous elders to be led by their spiritual guidance. And still others gathered together to live in communities-the first monasteries. The ascetical life led by the monastics came to be seen as a white, bloodless martyrdom, marked by constant dying to one’s passions and desires. Not rejecting the world as something evil, the monastics served the world in the most effective way possible-by their constant prayer for the whole world, and by giving spiritual counsel to those who came to visit them. Monasticism began in Egypt in the 3rd century. Saint Paul of Thebes (c. 230–340) was apparently the first hermit in the Egyptian desert. He was seen by Saint Anthony the Great (c. 250–356), the one traditionally considered to be the founder of monasticism, who lived in isolation for many years before allowing disciples to begin living around him. The very vivid and dramatic Life of Anthony, written by Saint Athanasius the Great, did much to popularize monasticism, especially in Western Europe. The 38 “sayings” of Anthony in The Sayings of the Desert Fathers remain to this day a superb teaching of the Christian spiritual life. |
| Archive Bishops of Serbian Orthodox Church attended celebrations in Pskov Monastery of the Caves 29 August 2019 year 18:02 On August 22, 2019, with a blessing of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, a group of bishops and clergy of the Serbian Patriarchate made a pilgrimage to shrines in the Russian North. The group included Bishop Irinej of Bac; Bishop Anthony of Moravici, rector of the Moscow representation of the Serbian Orthodox Church; Bishop Isihije of Mohacs, vicar of the Diocese of Bac; and Archpriest Vladan Simic, secretary of the Diocese of Bac. The guests were accompanied by Yu. Khoshev, secretariat for inter-Orthodox relations, Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations (DECR). From August 23-26, the pilgrims were on a visit to the Valamo Monastery of the Transfiguration, in which they venerated the monastery’s shrines and visited the monastic hermitages, and on August 25, the day of the Synaxis of the Valamo Saints, Bishop Irinej celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the monastery’s Cathedral of the Transfiguration. On August 26 and 27, the Serbian guests were in Pskov. They venerated the shrines of the Cathedral of the Trinity and saw some historical sites of the city. They also visited the Mirozhi Monastery of the Transfiguration and saw churches and historical sites in the city of Izborsk. On August 27, Bishop Irinej and his party arrived in the Pskov-Caves Monastery of the Dormition in which they were warmly welcomed the Metropolitan Tikhon of Pskov and Porkhov and the brethren of the monastic community. On August 28, the monastery’s patronal feast day, Bishops Irinej, Anthony and Isihij concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with Metropolitan Hilario of Volokolamsk, head of the DECR, and Metropolitan Tikhon. The service was attended by a great number of the faithful and held in the square at the Cathedral of Archangel Michael. In conclusion of the service, Metropolitan Tikhon as head of the Metropolis of Pskov and abbot of the Pskov-Caves Monastery warmly welcomed the guests from the Serbian Orthodox Church. Addressing the head of the DECR, he said in particular, ‘The years of your youth were passed here in the Pskov-Caves Monastery among other places… We are very glad that after decades you have returned here and we pray the Most Holy Mother of God that She, on her special day, may give you special strength, joy and peace – all that She so abundantly gives to every sincere heart that comes to Her, especially on the days of Her great feasts. We are soliciting you prayers and will always be delighted to see you in the Pskov-Caves Monastery’. He also greeted the hierarchs of the Serbian Church and asked for their holy prayers, expressing gratitude for their coming on that very day. |
| Archive Пн Delegation of Moscow Theological Schools visited Egypt 14 May 2019 year 12:25 From May 6 to 13, 2019, with the blessing of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and on the invitation of Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II, a delegation of the faculty, staff and students of Moscow Theological Academy visited Egypt to help develop inter-church cooperation in academic sphere and make a pilgrimage to old common Christian shrines in Egypt. The trip took place in the context of developing dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church and as part of the work of the respective bilateral Commission. The delegation was led by Archbishop Ambrose of Vereya, rector of Moscow Theological Schools (MDA). It included Hieromonk Stephen (Igumnov), secretary for inter-Christian relations of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR); Hegumen Gerasim (Dyachkov), deputy rector for economic work; Hieromonk Vyacheslav (Sorokin), senior assistant to the pro-rector for pedagogical work; Hieromonk Dometian (Kurlanov), sacristan of academy’s the Chapel of the Protecting Veil; Hieromonk Theodore (Yulaev), lecturer; Hieromonk Apollinary (Panin), assistant rector for pedagogical work; MDA students M. Bykov, S. Moroz, K. Babak, N. Gauk, S. KOnstantinov, A. Cherepenin, D. Leskov, S. Bolenkov, N. Saveliev; and the MDA video controller K. Shnurov. During its trip the delegation was accompanied by Hieromonk Daud al-Anthony of the St. Anthony Monastery (Coptic Church), who is studying in Moscow Theological Schools at present. During its trip the Moscow Patriarchate delegation visited the IV-V century monasteries of the Romans (Al-Baramus), the Syrians (As-Suriani), St. Paisius the Great (Anba Bishoy), St. Macarius the Great (Anba Makarios), and monasteries of St. Anthony the Great and St. Paul of Thebes of the Eastern (Arabian) Desert. In these old monasteries the guests from Russia had talks with their monks and venerated the great shrines associated with the history of the emergence of Christian monasticism. In Cairo, the delegation visited the historic Christian center of the city, as well as convents of St. George the Conqueror (Mar Girgis), St. Theodore Stratelates (Amir Tadrus), the Coptic Hanging Church (Muallaqa), the Ss Sergius and Bacchus with its crypt grotto, which is believed to give refuge to the Holy Family; as well as the churches of St. George the Conqueror, the Cathedral of St. Mark and the church of St. Paul. |
| Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary: “People Get Beaten and Pushed Out of Churches” Source: Pravoslavie.ru Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, executive secretary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, has reported occurrences of open aggression by the so-called Kiev Patriarchate against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its believers and clergymen. He announced this in an interview with the official website of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) on October 13. “The UOC has been constantly blackmailed since February 2014. The head of the Kiev Patriarchate’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church has encouraged people, I quote, ‘to put pressure’ on our Church several times… The only clergyman who willingly joined the separatists was a priest from the Kherson Diocese of the UOC. Back then, villagers were encouraged to hold ‘referendums’ on choosing the jurisdiction for the church in their village. A great number of people disagreed with leaving the canonical Church and joining the separatists. In order to suppress their constitutional rights, a right for physical force is used nowadays. Documents are falsified, locks are broken, and people get beaten and pushed out of churches,” the executive secretary mentioned. “Everyone remembers how the KP-UOC demanded negotiations with our Church. Today the form of a dialog with the so-called Kiev Patriarchate is irrelevant. Its head believes that the use of the techniques of illegal seizure and robbery are much more effective. Riding the waves of populism, there is sufficient political muscle ready to provide physical force for the Kiev Patriarchate in such activities,” Vladyka Anthony noted. The executive secretary of the UOC described the scheme that invaders of the UOC’s churches usually use. In addition, he emphasized the difference between the voluntary transfer of a parish to the jurisdiction of the KP-UOC and an invasion. “A decision regarding the transfer of a parish to another jurisdiction can only be made by a parish council chaired by the rector of the parish church. Governmental agencies have a right to register the changes in the parish charter only on the condition that the diocesan hierarch has approved the decision of this council. This is a typical procedure not merely for the UOC, but also for all Ukrainian religious institutions, the KP-UOC included. Moreover, according to the law, if there are only ten people in an inhabited locality who are unwilling to transfer from the UOC to another jurisdiction, no one has any right to eliminate their parish. In any other case, this is an invasion,” the Metropolitan stressed. |
| Archive Пн Metropolitan Anthony of Borispol and Brovary: Sin must not be legitimized for the sake of some geopolitical or national issues 18 September 2018 year 14:59 In his interview to RBC-Ukraine, Metropolitan Anthony of Borispol and Brovary, chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, told about the sentiments prevailing among the clergy and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with regard to the recent developments in the church life in Ukraine, as well as about the likely reaction of other Local Churches in the event that Constantinople will grant a tomos to the Ukrainian schismatics, and the preparations by the authorities for taking a series of actions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – adoption of anti-church laws and provocations against the major Orthodox holy sites in Ukraine. Metropolitan Anthony also noted that the faithful would defend their rights by all legal means. – What actions will the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate take in response to Constantinople’s decision to appoint two exarchs to Ukraine? – The most important decisions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are taken by the Synod. We make all decisions collectively. Perhaps, even the Bishops’ Council will be convened. Yet, we have already expressed our position: these are the unfriendly, uncanonical actions taken by Constantinople against another Orthodox Church. – What will you do in the event that the tomos of autocephaly will be granted? – Everything depends on how far the representatives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople will go, that is, what their actions in the canonical territory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will be. For the time being we have only heard statements. – In his interview to RBC-Ukraine, “patriarch” Philaret said that the appointment of the exarchs was an irreversible step towards the granting of the tomos. – As the phrase goes, the plans of the mind belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Maybe, the Ukrainian exarchate of the Patriarchate of Constantinople will be established. Much will depend on how the schismatics – Kiev patriarchate and the Ukrainian autocephalous orthodox church – will act at a unifying council. It is highly questionable whether that council will take place at all. Unification is a matter of great complexity, because had it been easy, it would have happened in the past 25 years. |
| Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk heads liturgy at Moscow representation of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch Source: DECR Photo: mospat.ru On 26 th July 2022, on the feast of the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, celebrations took place at the metochion of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch to mark the patronal feast day. The Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Archangel Gabriel was celebrated by the Chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk and the representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and dean of the metochion, Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis. Photo: mospat.ru Serving with the bishops were the representative of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Great Antioch and All the East archimandrite Philipp (Vasiltsev) and the clergy of the metochion. Protodeacon Vladimir Nazarkin headed the diaconal part of the service. At the conclusion of the Liturgy a prayer service was offered to the archangel Gabriel in the open air in the courtyard of the church. The prayer service was attended by representatives of the diplomatic missions of Mexico, Belgium, USA, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Montenegro, Argentina, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Romania, Luxemburg, Poland, Portugal, Brazil, Tunisia, Columbia, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Iraq, Albania, Palestine, France, Greece and Denmark. Among those present was also the president of the International Foundation for the Spiritual Unity of Nations V.A. Alexeyev. Photo: mospat.ru At the conclusion of the prayer service, Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis greeted the chairman of the DECR and said: “It is a great joy for me today, Vladyka, to convey to all those present at this celebration the love, blessing, prayers and greetings of our Patriarch, the Most Blessed John, Patriarch of Great Antioch and All the East. |
| Accept The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy Metropolitan Anthony holds talks with Primate of Malankara Church DECR Communication service, 27.02.2024. As part of a visit to India from 22 nd to 2th February 2024 a number of meetings were held between the chairman of the Department of External Church Relations the metropolitan of Volokolamsk Anthony and the primate of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church His Holiness the Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews III. Talks were held during which both sides discussed issues relevant to the current state of relations between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Malankara Church of India. The key role of personal contacts between the primates of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Malankara Church of India was especially noted. Metropolitan Anthony conveyed to His Holiness the Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews III greetings from His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and thanked the delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate for the invitation to participate in events marking the 1950 th anniversary of the martyr’s death of the holy apostle Thomas. The primate of the Malankara Church recalled warmly his visit to Russia in September of 2023 and his meeting with His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill during which he spoke of the great fraternal love he felt of the Russian Orthodox Church towards Indian Christians. Both sides noted the progress of the working group in coordinating bilateral relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Malankara Church, in particular the success of projects on a wide range of issues such as cooperation in the academic and media spheres, exchanges of monks, social ministry and in other areas. The talks with the primate of the Malankara Church were the culmination of the visit by the metropolitan of Volokolamsk to India. Early in the morning of 27 th February he left for Moscow from Cochin International Airport. The metropolitan was accompanied on his trip by the DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations hieromonk Stephan (Igumnov) and the secretary of the chairman of the DECR deacon Nikolai Vasin. Print publication Share: Page is available in the following languages Feedback |
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