HIS BEATITUDE VISITS THE DEPENDENCY OF THE PATRIARCHATE OF ALEXANDRIA IN MOSCOW – MEETING WITH HIS EMINENCE METROPOLITAN ILARION OF VOLOKALAMSK
On 6th September His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa went to the Holy Church of All Saints in Moscow, which is a Deopendency of the ancient Patriarchate. His Beatitude was welcomed by His Eminence Metropolitan Athanasios of Cyrene, Exarch of the Alexandrian Church in Moscow, together with the clergy and many faithful who came to receive the Patriarchal blessing.
His Beatitude then went to visit and venerate at the Holy Monastery of Saint Matrona, where the holy relics of the saint are kept. All the sisters, the orphaned children who are cared for there and thousands of faithful officially welcomed the Venerable Primate of the Throne of Saint Mark, who spoke to them in love and gave blessings to them all.
He then went on to visit the Holy Church of the Virgin “Joy of all who sorrow” and was welcomed by its Hierarch metropolitan Ilarion of Volokalamsk, President of the Department of External Ecclesiastical Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, as well as Their Eminences Alexandros of Astana and Kazakhstan and Seraphim of Borzom (Patriarchate of Georgia). During his visit to the Church His Beatitude was accompanied by His Eminence Athanasios Metropolitan of Cyrene, His Grace Alexandros of Dmitrov and Archimandrite Meletios Koumanis.
Metropolitan Ilarion warmly welcomed His Beatitude who in his turn spoke of his memories of his service as Exarch of the ancient Patriarchate in the Russian Church during the Patriarchal tenure of his predecessor and Spiritual father, the late Patriarch Parthenios III, praised the multifaceted activities of His Eminence Ilarion of Volokalamsk and expressed heartfelt gratitude to His Beatitude Patriarch Kirill and the staff of the Patriarchate of Moscow for their hospitality. Commemorative gifts were then exchanged.
On the evening of the same day His Beatitude left by air for Egypt.