On the evening of Sunday, June 11, 2023, a reception was organized at the Sergei Hotel in Jerusalem by the Russian Spiritual Mission – (MISSIA) in honor of the National Independence Day of Russia.
Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem was invited to this event after the Elder Secretary-General Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, the Elder Dragoman Archimandrite Mattheos, Archdeacon Mark, and Hierodeacon Simeon.
In his address, the Russian Ambassador to Israel, Anatoli Victorov, referred to Russia’s contribution to the defeat of the Nazi forces during World War II, as well as to the Patriarch’s efforts to protect the presence and property of Christian Churches in the Holy Land, as well as in His efforts to restore the unity of the Orthodox Churches.
Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem