Patriarch Theophilos meets with the Russian Ambassador to Israel

Patriarch Theophilos met with the Russian Ambassador. Photo: rusdm.ru

On August 11, 2021, in the Small Throne Hall of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Israel Anatoly Viktorov, according to the press service of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.

The meeting was also attended by Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantine, Chief Secretary of the Jerusalem Patriarchy, Archimandrite Alexander (Elisov), head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, Hieromonk Afanasy (Bukin), Treasurer of the Mission, and Alexander Gavrilov, the Second Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Israel.

The parties discussed issues of church-diplomatic cooperation, focusing on the topic of combating the spread of coronavirus.

"His Excellency Mr Ambassador and His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos stressed the importance of maintaining the international church-state dialogue at a high level for the sake of preserving the Christian presence in the Middle East and noted the harmful attempts by destructive forces to split the unity of World Orthodoxy,” the Mission said.

As the UOJ reported, on August 5, a meeting between Patriarch Theophilos and the head of the DECR MP took place in Amman.

Read also