On 20-21 November 2025 in Sharjah (UAE), a round table «The Russian Orthodox Church and Compatriots: Experience of Co-operation in Africa and the Middle East» was held. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the round table was led by Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The Forum is organised jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate with the support of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow.
Hierarchs, clergy and laity of the Russian Orthodox Church, representatives of organisations of Russian compatriots from Africa and the Middle East, including Metropolitan Constantine of Cairo and North Africa, Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, and Bishop Evfimy of Lukhovitsky, Vicar of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, arrived in the UAE to participate in the meeting.
The church delegation accompanying the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations included Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, Secretary of the Department for Overseas Affairs, Hieromonk Kirill (Peregudin), and Priest Alexander Ershov, Assistant to the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations.
The participants also include representatives of public organisations of compatriots and Russian diplomats.
Before the start of the round table, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Metropolitan Constantine of Cairo and North Africa, and Bishop Evfimy of Lukhovitsky, in the company of the round table participants, celebrated a prayer service before the beginning of any good work in the Church of St Philip the Apostle in Sharjah.
The meeting was opened by the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, who conveyed the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to those present.
Noting that this conference is already the thirteenth (earlier meetings of this kind, as a continuation of the joint initiative of the Department for External Church Relations and the Department for Work with Compatriots of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was implemented in 2009, were held in Brussels, Buenos Aires, Beijing, San Francisco, Johannesburg, Rome, Berlin, Rabat, Seoul, Budapest and Bangkok), Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk stated that such events invariably receive positive responses from clergy and compatriots living abroad. The meetings facilitate communication between pastors and laity from different countries and allow for the exchange of experience in parish life.
Vladyka Anthony told those present about the work of the Department for External Church Relations in coordinating the activities of the Moscow Patriarchate's parishes abroad, as well as in supporting and co-operating with compatriots living in far abroad. Special attention was paid to the ministry of the Russian Church on the African continent and the life of the Moscow Patriarchate parishes in the countries of the Middle East, engulfed by many protracted conflicts, the unhealed wounds of which pose a threat to life and stability both for the local population and for compatriots and Orthodox communities.
As the archpastor noted, the main concern of the Russian Church for compatriots who by the will of fate find themselves outside their homeland concerns the preservation and strengthening of their faith, pastoral care, spiritual consolation and the organisation of mutual assistance. It is well known that church communities abroad become a natural centre of spiritual and cultural life for them, helping compatriots to organically enter the social environment of the host country and preserve their spiritual and cultural identity.
«During the meeting we will have to think about what we can all do together to strengthen faith and the best qualities in people. Undoubtedly, our priority is to provide regular spiritual care for our compatriots and to hold divine services. It seems necessary to develop the accumulated experience and achievements in supporting compatriots, various forms of assistance in social adaptation of our foreign brothers and sisters in the host countries, to encourage active participation of young compatriots in humanitarian actions, cultural and educational events organised by parishes. I hope we will also discuss the problems and challenges that clergy and compatriots have to face, and try to identify ways to solve them, as well as to develop our cooperation in the Middle East and Africa,» said Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, who wished the archpastors and priests present God's help in their responsible ministry, which they carry out in difficult conditions far beyond their native land, helping compatriots to preserve the faith of their ancestors, spiritual traditions and culture.
ChatGPT сказал: In the course of the sessions, addresses were also delivered by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the United Arab Emirates T. F. Zabirov; the Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, Metropolitan of Cairo and North Africa Konstantin; the Vicar of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, Bishop of Lukhovitsy Euthymius; the Director of the Department for Compatriots Living Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia G. A. Ovechko; the Special Representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for International Cooperation in Ensuring the Right to Freedom of Religion M. M. Melekh; the Chairman of the World Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots Living Abroad M. V. Drozdov; the Deputy Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of the City of Moscow I. P. Tkach; the rector of the Church of the Holy Apostle Philip in Sharjah (UAE), Archimandrite Alexander (Zarkeshev); the Representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ to the Antiochian Patriarchal See, Archimandrite Philip (Vasilitsev); the Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeev); the rector of St Sergius Cathedral of the South African Diocese in Johannesburg (South Africa), Archpriest Daniil Lugovoi; the rector of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Tunis, Archpriest Dimitry Netsvetaev; the rector of the Church of St Nicholas the Wonderworker in Limassol (Cyprus), Archpriest Pavel Povaliaev; the rector of the Parish of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women in Hurghada (Egypt), Archpriest Alexey Mashkov; the rector of the Church of the Resurrection in the capital of Morocco, Archpriest Maxim Massalitin; the priest responsible for organizing the pastoral care of the flock of the Moscow Patriarchate in the territory of the Turkish Republic, Fr Georgy Sergeev; the hieromonk ministering to the community of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant (Türkiye), Pallady (Bystrov); and the Chairperson of the Coordinating Council of Organizations of Russian Compatriots in the UAE, E. G. Tarilova.
During the two days of the forum there was a fruitful exchange of views on ways of developing cooperation between the Church, the state and compatriot organisations. The round table participants noted the positive experience of social ministry of parish communities in the regions of Africa and the Middle East. The importance of strengthening ties between foreign parishes and Russian compatriots' organisations, including the country coordinating councils of Russian compatriots' organisations, was acknowledged.
Concluding the meeting, Metropolitan Anthony expressed the hope that the results of the discussion would be used in the pastoral, social, spiritual and educational work of the Moscow Patriarchate's foreign missions in the Middle East and Africa region.
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