At the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and with the blessing of Patriarch Tawadros II, a delegation of representatives of the Egyptian monarchy arrived in Moscow on October 21, 2026, which included hierarchs, clerics and monastics of the Coptic dioceses of Egypt and Sudan. The visit, led by the Secretary General of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Church, Metropolitan John of Assiut, is part of a program of annual mutual pilgrimages and is aimed at developing a bilateral dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and Coptic Churches. At Domodedovo Airport, the foreign guests were greeted by Metropolitan Arseny of Zvenigorod, Abbess Juliania (Kaleda), Hieromonk Daoud el-Anthony, representative of the Coptic Church in Russia, as well as employees of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The official program began with a visit to the Pokrovsky Stavropol Convent of the capital, where a solemn reception was organized for the delegation. The pilgrimage will last until October 29, during which time representatives of the Coptic Church will visit key shrines in Moscow and the Moscow region, as well as travel to Yaroslavl, Rostov and Tver lands, including visits to the famous Vvedensky Tolga and Assumption Staritsky monasteries.