The Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District visited the Minsk Theological Academy

August 7, 2024. Minsk. The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, who is on a pilgrimage visit to Belarus at the invitation of Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, visited the Minsk Theological Academy.

The Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District is accompanied by: Archbishop Amfilohiy of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk, Secretary of the Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov, Acting Rector of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary Archpriest Yevgeny Ivanov, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Metropolitan Protocol Service Archdeacon Roman Golovin, Secretary of the Ust-Kamenogorsk Diocese Deacon Ilya Kvan; employees of the Alma-Ata Diocesan Administration, and founders of the Metropolitan District.

With the blessing of the Patriarchal Exarch Metropolitan Alexander, the Rector of the Academy Archimandrite Athanasius (Sokolov) and his staff and students met the Kazakh pilgrims accompanying him. The members of the delegation visited the house church in honor of St. Cyril of Turov, the library named after Metropolitan Philaret (Vakhromeyev), the assembly hall, classrooms, and the rector's office. For the Academy library, the Metropolitan presented a set of theological and church-historical literature published in Kazakhstan.

In recognition of his work in the field of spiritual education and contribution to the development of cooperation between the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary and the Minsk Theological Academy, Archimandrite Afanasy was awarded the Order of St. Sophonia (Sokolsky), Archbishop of Tashkent and Turkestan, Enlightener of Semirechye.

The prospects for developing cooperation between the theological schools of Belarus and Kazakhstan were discussed by Metropolitan Alexander of Kazakhstan with the rector of the Academy, Archimandrite Afanasy, and the rector of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary, Archpriest Yevgeny Ivanov.

At the end of the visit, Metropolitan Alexander left a note in the book of honored guests: “Together with the Kazakh delegation, we visited the theological school - the Theological Academy of the Belarusian Orthodox Church. We sincerely wish the faculty and professorial corporation blessed success in their academic affairs. Invoking God's blessing, Metropolitan Alexander."

On the same day, in the academic church, Metropolitan Alexander took part in the recording of the program "Touching the Light" of the Synodal Information Department of the Belarusian Orthodox Church and answered questions from journalists of Belarusian television. Technical support for the recording of the program was provided by the Academy's information service.

With the use of materials from the official website of the Minsk Theological Academy.