On March 9, 2024, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, who is in Lebanon with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, visited the compound of the Russian Orthodox Church in Beirut.
Together with Metropolitan Anthony, the guests of the metochion were Metropolitan Silouan of the Mountains of Lebanon, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Lebanese Republic A.N. Rudakov, representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Great Antioch and All the East Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev) Archimandrite Serafim (Shemyatovsky), rector of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia in Moscow, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, Deputy Chairman of the DECR, Deacon Nikolai Vasin, Secretary of the DECR Chairman, and E.I. Skopenko, Executive Director of the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage.
On the same day, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk visited the metropolis of the Lebanese Mountains. A meeting with the ruling bishop, Metropolitan Siluan, took place at the diocesan administration.
The meeting was attended by the representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Lebanese Republic A.N. Rudakov, representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Great Antioch and All the East Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), rector of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Archimandrite Serafim (Shemyatovsky), Deputy Chairman of the DECR Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, Secretary of the DECR Chairman Deacon Nikolai Vasin, Executive Director of the Fund for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage E.I. Skopenko.
Welcoming the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Siluan noted with satisfaction the high level of bilateral relations between the Antiochian and Moscow Patriarchates. According to the hierarch, both Churches, through their joint actions, create, preserve and strengthen Orthodox unity. A vivid evidence of this is the small consecration of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of El Dib, where the Russian-speaking believers of Lebanon gather for prayer.
In turn, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk warmly thanked Metropolitan Siluan for his hospitality and for the opportunity to be together, communicate and pray together, for caring for the Russian-speaking faithful of his diocese. The head of the DECR noted that for any person living far from his Homeland, it is very important to have a place where he could pray, confess, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, communicate with his co-religionists in his native language. Now the Russian-speaking residents of Lebanon have found such a place for themselves, their spiritual home, thanks to the cordial attitude and paternal care of Metropolitan Silouan.
Then Metropolitan Silouan of the Mountains of Lebanon gave a dinner in honor of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church.