The delegation accompanying the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Antioch consists of Bishop Athanasios of Nineveh, Archimandrite Parthenios (Allati), Archdeacon Gerasimos (Kabbas). His Beatitude party also includes Metropolitan Niphon of Philippople, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and Hegumen Arseny (Sokolov), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Antioch.
At Vnukovo-3 airport Patriarch John was met by Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Arseny of Istra, patriarchal first vicar for Moscow; Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk, patriarchal vicar; Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations, Deacon Fedor Shulga, DECR; Mr. V. Alekseyev, president of the International Public Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Nations, and Moscow clergy.
