A Meeting of the Head of the Metropolitan District with the Guest Participants of the Sophonius Educational Readings

25 November 2025. Almaty. In the Fireplace Hall of the spiritual, cultural and administrative center of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District named in honor of Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), a working meeting was held between Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and the participants of the Sophonius Readings who arrived from theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Present at the meeting were: rector of the Kazan Orthodox Theological Seminary, candidate of theology Priest Nikita Kuznetsov, lecturer of the Minsk Theological Seminary and head of its library, candidate of theology Archimandrite Nikodim (Generalov), vice rector for general and social affairs of the Kuzbass Orthodox Theological Seminary Archpriest Alexei Nagorny, assistant to the head of the library of the Minsk Theological Seminary Reader Nazary Florya.

Among the participants of the gathering were: secretary of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, choir director of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District and member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Russian Church Singing O. N. Ovchinnikov; rector of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary, candidate of theology Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov; vice rector for educational work Priest Ioann Livinsky, vice rector for academic work Priest Petr Bakhtiyarov, vice rector for scholarly work of AOT Seminary, candidate of philosophical sciences A. P. Solovyov; head of the seminary chancellery Priest Alexander Shishlov, secretary of the Church History Department Priest Georgy Sidorov.

Greeting the guests, Metropolitan Alexander thanked them for their visit to Almaty and for their participation in the Sophonius Educational Readings, an annual educational event held in the Southern Capital. The Head of the Metropolitan District highly appreciated the scholarly and educational work of the Minsk theological schools, the Kazan and the Kuzbass theological seminaries, noting the importance of these authoritative platforms for conducting academic, interfaith and civic dialogue.

Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov informed the distinguished guests about the activities of the Almaty Theological Seminary, the primary training center of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, which holds a state license granting the right to carry out educational work in accordance with national legislation.

One of the significant topics of the meeting was the discussion of prospects for developing cooperation between the theological schools of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

The heads of the theological institutions expressed gratitude to Metropolitan Alexander for the warm reception and noted the high level of organization of the Sophonius Educational Readings.

At the conclusion of the meeting, held in a cordial atmosphere, His Eminence presented the guests with a commemorative table medal bearing the image of Archbishop Sophonius (Sokolsky), the first hierarch of the Turkestan Diocese and the apostle of Semirechye, as well as his scholarly work “Christianity in Central Asia in the Medieval Era”, the latest issue of the AOT Seminary’s theological journal “Theological Bulletin”, the Metropolitan District calendar for 2026 and an icon of the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan.

A group photograph was taken as a memento.