Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk meets with the Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East

On 29th September 2025, at the Central Residence of the Assyrian Catholicoi-Patriarchs in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, a meeting took place between Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, and His Holiness Mar Awa III, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.

Metropolitan Anthony conveyed to the Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East greetings and kind regards from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’. The DECR Chairman also congratulated His Holiness Mar Awa III on his 50th birthday, which he is celebrating this year, and presented to him a Patriarch staff.

The participants in the meeting pointed out that the Moscow Patriarchate and the Assyrian Church of the East traditionally maintained friendly and trust-based relations, and emphasised the particular importance of in-person contacts between the two Primates.

Metropolitan Anthony thanked Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Awa for offering fraternal support to the canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine and Estonia, as well as for the effective bilateral cooperation at various international platforms.

A special mention was made of the efficient work of the Commission for Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Assyrian Church of the East, which held its sixth meeting in Erbil several days ago.

Metropolitan Anthony and the Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East During had a lengthy conversation, during which they discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to the bilateral relations between the two Churches and the situation of Christians in the world.

Among those took part in the meeting were also Mar Narsai Benjamin, Bishop of Iran, Armenia and Georgia; Mar Abrs Youkhanna, Bishop of Duhok and Nineveh; Mr Maxim Rubin, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Erbil; Chorbishop Samano Odisho, Representative of the Assyrian Church of the East in Russia; Priest Martin Nabeel Nikola, Secretary to the Assyrian Patriarch; as well as Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), DECR Secretary for Inter-Christian Relations; and Priest Nikolai Vasin, Secretary to the DECR Chairman.

DECR Communication Service/Patriarchia.ru