On December 4, 2025, Egor Skopenko, Executive Director of the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage, congratulated Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, on his birthday.
On this day, a reception was held at the Antioch monastery on the occasion of the abbot's 84th birthday. The event was also attended by Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, adviser to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, ambassadors from 32 countries, as well as representatives of the Russian and Lebanese communities.
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Egor Skopenko, in turn, presented Vladyka Nifon with a gift edition of "Russian Icon Painting. Big Collection", which contains the most complete collection of Orthodox icons. This edition will be kept in the museum at the church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy" in the Lebanese city of Zahle.
Yegor Skopenko, congratulating Metropolitan Niphon, expressed gratitude for many years of fruitful cooperation, and also emphasized the value of the warm relationship that has developed between the Antiochian Orthodox Church and the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage.
Recall that in May 2025, the Executive Director of the Foundation, Egor Skopenko was награжден Order of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, III Degree of the Antiochian Orthodox Church (ed. – the highest order of the Antiochian Patriarchate, which is issued as a sign of respect and appreciation for special achievements for the benefit of the Antiochian Orthodox Church).
The award was presented to Yegor Skopenko by Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, on May 18, 2025, during a working visit by a delegation of the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage to Lebanon, during which she participated in the great освящении built with the help of the Foundation of the temple in honor of the icon The Mother of God's "Unexpected Joy" in the city of Zahle. Russian Russian architectural style was built in the church and it is a symbol of friendship between the Russian and Lebanese peoples.