On February 7, 2023, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of the Philippines Marat Pavlov and Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi met with the Mayor of Davao Sebastian Duterte. Before the meeting, a presentation of Davao City’s investment proposals was held. During the meeting, which took place in a friendly atmosphere, the interlocutors discussed a wide range of issues related to the development of Russian-Filipino humanitarian contacts. One of the issues related to the project of expanding and strengthening the mission of the Russian Orthodox Church in Davao city concerned the allocation of land for the needs of the mission. The meeting was also attended by: Nikolay Ovsyannikov, Economic Adviser to the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Philippines, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Abbot Anthony (Kirpichev), Secretary of the Khanty-Mansi Diocese, Priest Anthony Dolgushin, Chairman of the Department for Church Relations with Society and the Media of the Khanty-Mansi Diocese. At the end of the meeting, Metropolitan Pavel presented the Mayor of Davao with an icon of the Mother of God “Iverskaya” and a newly published Orthodox prayer book in Cebuano language.

On February 4, 2023, on the eve of the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, of the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi prayed at the all-night vigil in the church in honor of St. Matrona of Moscow in Davao. The divine service was performed by a cleric of the church of St. Isidore of Rostov in Alabel, Priest Alexy Bergado, the deacon rank was headed by a cleric of the church of St. John of Shanghai in Santa Maria Deacon John Mahinay. At the end of the all-night vigil, Metropolitan Pavel performed the consecrations of readers Anthony Aranco, Raphael Fraggillo and Juventinus Bulaquenya.

On February 4, 2023, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , the administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the church in honor of St. Matrona of Moscow in Davao. His Eminence was co-served by: Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), Dean of the Nizhnevartovsk Deanery of the Khanty-Mansi Diocese, Archpriest Sergiy Shevchenko, Priest Oleg Gordeev, Priest Joachim Gonzalez. The diaconal rank was headed by Hierodeacon Nikodim (Pirkhovsky). During the Liturgy, Metropolitan Pavel ordained Deacon Alexy Bergado, a cleric of the Church of St. Isidore of Rostov in Alabel, to the priesthood, and reader Agustin Ponferrada was ordained a deacon. At the end of the Service, Metropolitan Pavel addressed the audience: “Dear fathers, brothers and sisters, allow me to congratulate you on the holiday and thank you for the common prayer that we have made today. We have celebrated the Divine Liturgy and 2 ordinations – diaconal and priestly. Our church is being multiplied with the clergy and parishioners, and thus right hand of God leads us to salvation. There is no greater glory than to glorify our Heavenly Creator together. I pray to God that He will bless this land with His Divine blessing and send down the Holy Spirit on those who take holy orders today. It is impossible to love God without loving the flock, it is impossible to serve God without serving one’s neighbor. And today, congratulating and admonishing Deacon Agustin, Priest Alexy, I want to say: to serve God means to serve people. To love God means to love your neighbor. God grant that our parishes, and there are already 30 of them, develop, and it is desirable that each parish has its own priest. Most recently, the birth of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese took place, parishes and flocks are being multiplied, priests are being ordained and trained. I pray to the All-merciful God that He will accomplish His work of salvation, for He desires salvation for all, as it is said in the Holy Scriptures. The Lord calls us, all Orthodox Christians, and says: “You are the Light of the world and the salt of the Earth.” We will bring this Light to those around us, for St. Seraphim of Sarov said: “Acquire the spirit of peace and thousands around you will be saved.” I invoke God’s blessing on everyone: help us, Lord!”

On February 3, 2023, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, arrived in Davao City of the Mindanao Island of the Republic of the Philippines. At the Francisco Bangoy Airport in Davao City, Metropolitan Pavel and representatives of the delegation of the Khanty-Mansiysk diocese were met by the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), representatives of the Orthodox mission in the Philippines. Metropolitan Pavel is accompanied on his trip by: Secretary of the Khanty-Mansi Diocese Abbot Anthony (Kirpichev), Dean of the Surgut City Deanery of the Khanty-Mansi Diocese Archpriest Anthony Isakov, Dean of the Nizhnevartovsk city deanery of the Khanty-Mansi Diocese Archpriest Sergiy Shevchenko, Priest Oleg Gordeev, Chairman of the Department for Church Relations with Society and the Media Priest Anthony Dolgushin, Hierodeacon Nikodim (Pirkhovsky), President of the Literary Foundation “The Way of Life” Dmitry Mizgulin.

As part of the archpastoral visit to the Republic of the Philippines, visits to parishes in different provinces of the republic are planned. Metropolitan Pavel will visit a number of Orthodox communities on the island of Mindanao, where he will perform divine services and hold a diocesan meeting of the clergy and laity of the Philippine–Vietnamese diocese. A number of ordinations of clerics of the Philippine–Vietnamese Diocese will also take place. Metropolitan Pavel will also visit Tubabao Island (Philippines) where the foundation stone was consecrated at the construction site of the church of St. John, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco. There will also be working meetings of the administrator of the Philippine —Vietnamese diocese with representatives of the state authorities of the cities of the Republic, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of the Philippines M. I. Pavlov and employees of the diplomatic corps of the Russian Federation, representatives of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church.

A meeting of the Synod of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia was held on January 29, 2023, at the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino, Moscow, under the chairmanship of the Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and Southeast Asia. The Synod was attended by Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, Archbishop Theophan of Korea and Bishop Pitirim of Jakarta, Vicar of the Diocese of Singapore. The Synod members expressed filial gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church for their attention to the Orthodoxy in Asia, the development of the life of church communities and the arrangement of their canonical existence. During the meeting, a wide range of issues of the life of the Patriarchal Exarchate and the further development of the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the countries of Southeast Asia were considered. Upon completion, Metropolitan Pavel presented the Archpastors with the medals of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese.

On January 29, 2023, the 33rd Sunday after Pentecost, the feast of the Veneration of the chains of the Apostle Peter, Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and Southeast Asia, led the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino, Moscow.

His Eminence was co-served by Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, Archbishop Theophylact of Pyatigorsk and Circassian, Archbishop Theophan of Korea, Bishop Pitirim of Jakarta, Secretary of the Khanty-Mansi Diocese Abbot Anthony (Kirpichev), clerics of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino.

At the end of the service, Metropolitan Sergiy congratulated the faithful on Sunday and addressed the audience with an archpastoral word:

“Your Eminences, dear fathers, brothers and sisters, I am glad to welcome you on this Sunday, which prepares us for Lent. It has already smelled of spiritual spring. Today, I was happy to perform a joint divine service with the bishops, with co-workers in the lands of Southeast Asia and the lands of the Caucasus.
Vladyka Pavel, who heads the Orthodox mission in the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese, where there are already thirty-three parishes. Vladyka Theophan, who heads the Korean Diocese, which includes the countries of North and South Korea. On these lands Vladyka Theophan unites our compatriots, Orthodox believers on the Korean peninsula. Today, Vladyka Pitirim prayed with us here, who looks after parishes in Indonesia, which has about 300 million people. This territory is 20 times smaller than the territory of Russia.
Also, Archimandrite Oleg, the organizer of parishes in the Thai diocese, where eleven churches and one monastery have already been built, shared the joy of common prayer with us.
In Southeast Asia is the hardest mission of the Russian Orthodox Church. If someone had told me 15 years ago that Orthodoxy would flourish in Asia far away for us, I would not have believed it, but today the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia includes over 80 parishes. And all this by the grace of God and by the labours, cares and prayers of the bishops of the Exarchate.
God is never wrong. If a person sincerely believed that God guides everything in our life, he would see through his life experience, that even sometimes via pain, a state of abandonment, the Lord leads us to salvation.”

Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga met with foreign students of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. The meeting was attended by applicants of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa from Nigeria, the Central African Republic, Madagascar, Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya, the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia from the Philippines and Indonesia. His Eminence congratulated everyone on the holidays of Christmas and Epiphany, and gave a parting archpastoral word. The group of students was accompanied by the rector of the Academy, Bishop Siluan of Peterhof.

On January 20, a meeting of foreign students of the Theological Academy with Priest Jacob Smuts (South Africa) took place in the classroom of the missionary department of the St. Petersburg Diocese. During the meeting, Father Jacob spoke about his life path and practical experience of conducting missionary work in Africa.

On the day of the memory of St. Pavel of Komel (Obnorsky), we congratulate our dear Vladyka Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi on his Heavenly Patron Saint feast!

On February 2-20, 2023, after a long break due to restrictions caused by coronavirus infection, Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut, the Administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese, will pay an archpastoral visit to the Philippines.

Visits to parishes in different provinces are planned. Metropolitan Pavel will visit a number of Orthodox communities on the island of Mindanao, where he will perform divine services and hold a diocesan meeting of the clergy and laity of the Philippine–Vietnamese diocese. A number of ordinations of clerics of the Philippine–Vietnamese Diocese will also take place.

During his archpastoral trip, Metropolitan Paul will visit the island of Tubabao (Philippines) where the foundation stone was consecrated at the construction site of the church of St. John, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco.

As part of the archpastoral trip to the Republic of the Philippines, the Administrator of the Philippine—Vietnamese Diocese will also hold working meetings with representatives of the state authorities of the cities of the Republic, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of the Philippines M. Pavlov and employees of the diplomatic corps of the Russian Federation, representatives of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church.