Head of the ROC’s DECR, Metropolitan Anthony, Paid Tribute to Pope Francis at the Vatican

On April 25, the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, arrived at the Vatican to pay his last respects to the late Pope Francis. Metropolitan Anthony visited St. Peter’s Basilica, where the Pontiff’s body lay in state. This was reported on the official website of the DECR of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The three-day farewell ceremony for Pope Francis is concluding with the sealing of the coffin. The burial is scheduled for April 26 — the Pope will be laid to rest in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

It is worth noting that on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, Archbishop Elpidophoros, head of the Phanar’s Archdiocese of America, attended a Catholic mass held in memory of Pope Francis. The event took place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.