On December 26, 2025, the Smolensk Orthodox Theological Seminary hosted a thematic meeting dedicated to supporting foreign students.
The meeting was attended by the rector of the seminary, Priest Dimitri Gamilovsky, curator of the department for international students "Russian as a foreign language" Olga Ivanina, as well as Dmitry Rudkovsky, Deputy Executive Director of the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage.
The meeting was also attended by international seminary students representing the Coptic Church.
An important outcome of the meeting was the signing of a cooperation agreement between the seminary and the Foundation. As part of this agreement, the Foundation will provide targeted support to Coptic students, which will include a monthly scholarship payment and compensation for transportation costs.
The Rector and a representative of the Foundation personally talked with students from the Coptic Church, asking them in detail about their living conditions, lifestyle, nutrition and the process of adaptation.
The students were able to share their positive impressions and ask interesting questions.
Help
The educational project, implemented by the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage and the Russian Orthodox Church since 2023, is aimed at helping foreign students who receive spiritual education in Russia.
The project is currently being implemented at the Moscow and St. Petersburg Theological Academies, St. Tikhon's Orthodox University for the Humanities, Nikolo-Ugresh, Tomsk, Perervinsk, Yekaterinodar, Voronezh, Kuzbass, and Penza theological seminaries.