MThA Hosts Bilateral Meeting with Malankara Church

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and His Holiness Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews III, the fourth meeting of the Working Group for Bilateral Relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church was held at the Moscow Theological Academy on July 18-19, 2025.

The participants from the Moscow Patriarchate included: Bishop Kirill of Sergiev Posad and Dmitrov, co-chairman of the working group; Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), secretary of the working group and secretary for inter-Christian relations of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR); Hieromonk Mark (Akhmatkhanov), DECR secretariat staff member for inter-Christian relations; and M.G. Kalinin, a senior lecturer at the Institute for Classical East and Antiquity of the Higher School of Economics.

The Malankara Church delegation included: Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos of the Diocese of Northeast America, co-chairman of the working group; Metropolitan Abraham Mar Stephanos of the UK, Europe, and Africa; and Priest Ashwin Fernandes, Executive Director of the Malankara Church's Department for External Church Relations.

Also participating in the Working Group meeting was Metropolitan Yuhanon Mar Demetrios of Delhi, chairman of the Malankara Church's Department for External Church Relations.

Since the previous Working Group meeting in August 2024 in the UAE, a number of bilateral initiatives have been implemented: On November 1, 2024, a phone conversation was held between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and His Holiness Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews III. On March 8, 2025, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church received a delegation from the Malankara Church. In November 2024, Metropolitan Antony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the DECR, visited India to participate in the celebrations for the feast day of St. Gregory of Parumala and to present the Order of "Glory and Honor" (First Degree) to the Primate of the Malankara Church. In March 2025, Metropolitan Yuhanon Mar Demetrios of Delhi and Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Yulios of Kunnamkulam, both from the Malankara Church's DECR, visited Russia to participate in the celebrations for the feast day of the holy blessed Matrona of Moscow. In October 2024, the Primate and hierarchs of the Malankara Church sent letters of support in connection with the seizure of the St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Cherkasy. Meetings were held between Malankara Church hierarchs and professors and students of the Moscow Theological Academy and the Smolensk Theological Seminary. Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church took part in the Malankara Church's academic conferences on the First Ecumenical Council and the autonomy of the Indian Church. Two Malankara students completed their studies at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy as part of a student exchange program. A delegation of monks from the Malankara Church visited Russia. Representatives of the Malankara Church participated in an international conference of the Department for External Church Relations on pastoral care for the mentally ill, and in a medical conference at St. Alexy's hospital. Negotiations were held between representatives of the Malankara Church and the Synodal Department for Church's Relations with Society and the Media. Concerts of Russian sacred music were held in India. Mutual assistance continues in providing churches for believers to hold services as part of their cooperation in the diaspora. Work is underway on translations of the lives of saints from both Churches, and theological consultations have been initiated.

The two sides discussed the further development of cooperation in many areas, which was reflected in the joint communiqué adopted at the conclusion of the meeting.

DECR Communication Office/MThA Press Office