A meeting between the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations and hierarchs of the Orthodox Church of Antioch took place in Moscow

On July 24, 2026, in Moscow, at the Department for External Church Relations (DECR) of the Moscow Patriarchate, an official meeting took place between the DECR chairman, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, and a delegation from the Orthodox Church of Antioch. According to , the DECR’s website, the parties discussed issues of interchurch cooperation in a spirit of brotherhood and mutual understanding.

The delegation that arrived in Russia included Metropolitan Silouan of Mount Lebanon, Metropolitan Anthony of Zahle and Baalbek, and Archimandrite Jeremiah (Azam). During the meeting, Metropolitan Anthony expressed his joy at the guests’ visit and recalled his trips to Lebanon, in particular, his participation in the consecration of the church dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy” in the city of Zahle, which took place last May.

The participants in the talks focused on the implementation of joint humanitarian projects and current issues in inter-Orthodox relations. Also participating in the meeting were Metropolitan Nifon of Philippopolis, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch to the Patriarch of Moscow; Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsov), as well as staff members of the Department for External Church Relations: Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk and Deacon Sergiy Monakhov.

As a reminder, On July 22, 2026, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, concluded his visit to Cyprus, which took place with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. During the trip , the hierarch held a series of meetings with representatives of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus devoted to issues of interchurch relations.