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On 26 August 2011, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR), visited Galilee. He was accompanied by the members of the delegation and by hegumen Feofan (Lukianov), deputy head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission. On the way from Jerusalem, the group saw the ruins of the ancient Emmaus, where the holy apostles Luke and Cleopas met with the risen Christ.

While in Galilee, Metropolitan Hilarion visited the convent of St. Mary Magdalene in Magdala (Moscow Patriarchate) and the Church of the Twelve Apostles in Capernaum (Jerusalem Patriarchate).

In the morning of August 27, the commemoration day of St. Theodosius of the Caves, Metropolitan Hilarion celebrated Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Mary of Magdala together with the DECR deputy chairman, archpriest Nikolai Balashov, hegumen Feofan, hieromonk Antoniy (Gutnik) from the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, and hierodeacon Ioann (Kopeikin). The choir sang hymns in Znamenny chant.

That same day, Metropolitan Hilarion came to Nazareth. He visited the well on the site of the Annunciation and the house of Joseph, as well as the monasteries of St. Gerasimos of Jordan and of St. George Hozevit in the Judean desert.