Patriarch John I of Antioch: "In the difficult times we have lived through, the Russian Orthodox Church was always there and helped us"translated

And in the difficult times we have lived through, the Russian Orthodox Church was always there and helped us, emphasized by Patriarch John I of Antioch and all East in an event at the Patriarchal Dormition Monastery of the Theotokos in Balaman, which was dedicated to the completion of 80 years from the establishment of the Russian Mission in Beirut. On October 31, 2026, the Patriarchate delegation in Lebanon, led by the President of the Department of Ecumenical Church Relations, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, attended the event at the invitation of Patriarch John I.

During the event, a concert of the Synod Choir of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Choir of Saint John of Damascus from the Theological School of the Balaman University was held in the meeting hall of the monastery. The program of the concert included popular hymns, classical and contemporary sacred works by Russian and Lebanese composers.

In his greeting, the Patriarch of Antioch expressed great joy at the event. "What we heard today is the language of the angels," said the Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Church. "We thank..."