Moscow, June 8, 2022
Photo: stcaterina.com
At the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church yesterday, June 7, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), was relieved of his duties as head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department of External Church Relations (DECR) and Metropolitan of Volokolamsk, and Metropolitan Anthony (Sevriuk) was appointed to replace him in both capacities. Metropolitan Anthony had been the Metropolitan of Korsun and Western Europe since May 30, 2019.
Moscow Patriarchate spokesman Vladimir Legoida explained the choice of Met. Anthony in an article on Interfax Religion: “External Church relations presuppose, among other things, an emphasis on parishes abroad… Administration of [MP] institutions abroad, which until 2009 were under the structure of the DECR, includes provision for the care of churches and monasteries of the Russian Church [MP] abroad.”
V. Legoida commented that the new head of the DECR possesses vast experience in the area of external Church administration, including leadership of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Western Europe. He began his service in the DECR as the personal secretary to the Department’s head, who was at that time Metropolitan Kirill, now Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Thus, there is a succession in the work of the DECR.
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Metropolitan Anthony, before monasticism Anton Yurievich Sevriuk), was born October 12, 1984 in the city of Tver. While a student at the Tver Lyceum, he served as an altar boy and subdeacon in the Resurrection Cathedral. He graduated from the Lyceum in 2002 with a gold medal for achievement.
In 2002 he entered the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, where he worked on the Academy’s website and taught in the English language department. He also represented the Academy at various conferences and seminars, including the Orthodox youth organization Syndesmos in Brussels.
In 2007 he graduated from the Academy, and earlier in the same year he was sent to serve at the Orthodox department of the theological faculty of Ioensuu University, Finland, and as the dean of the St. John the Theologian Church at the Finnish Orthodox Church Seminary.
He was tonsured a ryassaphore monk by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill in 2009, and ordained a priest by him in 2010.
In March, 2011, Fr. Anthony was appointed to serve as a priest of the St. Nicholas stavropegal parish in Rome, and rector of the St. Catherine stavropegic Church in Rome. In July of same year, he was appointed secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate parishes in Italy. In October 2015 he was tonsured as a stavrophore (full) monk, and given the name Antony in honor of St. Anthony the Roman.
Fr. Anthony was onsecrated a bishop in 2015, and appointed rector of the St. John the Baptist Church in Moscow, and in 2017, given the title of vicar bishop of Zvenigorod. He was also made temporary ruling bishop of Berlin. In 2017 he was appointed bishop of Vienna and Budapest, retaining his status as administrator of the MP parishes abroad. In February 2018, he was raised to the rank of Archbishop.
In May, 2019, Archbishop Anthony was appointed ruling archbishop of Korsun and Western Europe, Patriarchal Exarch of Western Europe. In the same month, he was raised to the rank of Metropolitan.
Also at yesterday’s Holy Synod meeting, Metropolitan Anthony was made a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. For now, he retains his functions as administrator of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Western Europe, and administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate institutions abroad. He was released from his duties as head of the Korsun diocese (information from Patriarchia.ru).
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