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On 22 July 2013, the delegation of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, headed by His Beatitude Patriarch Theofilos III of Jerusalem, arrived in Moscow for the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia.

The delegation includes Archbishop Theophylactos of Jordan; Archbishop Aristarhos of Constantina; Archimandrite Damianos, Exarch of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in Greece; Archdeacon Athanassios, assistant to the dean of the Patriarchate of Jeruslaem; and Archimandrite Stefan (Dispirakis), representative of the Patriarch of Jerusalem to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

Meeting the delegation at the Vnukovo Airport were Metropolitan Varsonofiy of Saransk and Mordovia, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archbishop Arseniy of Istra, first patriarchal vicar for Moscow; Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk; Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; and Hegumen Feofan (Lukianov), acting head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.

Metropolitan Varsonofiy of Saransk and Mordovia warmly greeted the guests.

His Beatitude Patriarch Theofilos expressed his joy over the forthcoming meetings with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and with heads of other Local Orthodox Churches. The Primate of the Church of Jerusalem noted that the celebration in the Russian Orthodox Church gives an opportunity for brotherly meetings between heads and representatives of all Orthodox Churches, as well as for witnessing about the unity of the Holy Church to modern society.