Delegation Of The Malankara Church Visits The Academy

On April 30, 2026, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, a delegation of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church visited the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the Moscow Theological Academy.

The delegation included: Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Coorilos of Mumbai; Metropolitan Yuhanon Mar Polycarpos of Angamaly; and Priest Ashwin Fernandes, Executive Director of the Department of External Church Relations (DECR) of the Malankara Church.

The delegation was accompanied by Hieromonk Mark (Akhmatkhanov), a staff member of the Secretariat for Inter-Christian Relations of the DECR.

The visit of the Malankara Church delegation was timed to coincide with the celebrations in honor of the memory of Blessed Matrona of Moscow, which will take place on May 2 at the Intercession Stavropegial Convent in Moscow.

Upon arrival at the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the distinguished guests venerated St. Sergius at his holy relics in the Trinity Cathedral, prayed at the monastery's shrines, and honored the memory of Patriarch Pimen, who was the first Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church to visit India. After that, the delegation proceeded to the Elizabethan Hall of the Moscow Theological Academy, where the plenary session of the interuniversity student scientific conference "Current Issues of Modern Theological Science". was taking place. 

As part of the conference, the hierarchs of the Malankara Church met with Academy students. The meeting was attended by the Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Abbot of the Lavra, Bishop Kirill of Sergiev Posad and Dmitrov.

During the conversation, Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Coorilos conveyed greetings and best wishes from the Primate of the Malankara Church, His Holiness Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews III. He warmly thanked the hosts for their hospitality, noting that he felt at home. He emphasized the importance of personal bilateral visits by hierarchs and representatives of the two Churches to the USSR and India, which laid the foundation for good relations.

MThA students prepared questions, which made the meeting lively and meaningful.

Before the meeting with the students, the delegation spoke with MThA Rector Bishop Kirill and discussed issues of cooperation in the field of theological education, the exchange of monastic experience, and other matters related to bilateral interaction through the working group.

At the end of the meeting, the parties exchanged commemorative gifts.

MThA Press Office