February 4, 2012
Moscow: The Primate
of the Russian Church Abroad Participates in the Celebration of the
Third Anniversary of the Patriarchal Enthronement
On
February 1, 2012, the third anniversary of the enthronement of His
Holiness Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow and All Russia, Divine Liturgy
was celebrated at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church
was joined in the service by His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir of
St Petersburg and Ladoga; His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret of
Minsk and Slutsk; His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir of Kishinev and
Moldova; His Eminence Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and
Kazakhstan; His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk,
President of the Department of External Church Relations of the
Moscow Patriarchate; His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern
America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church
Outside of Russia; His Eminence Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa and
Izmail; a host of hierarchs of the Moscow Patriarchate; His Eminence
Metropolitan Gerasim of Zugdid and Tsaish (Georgian Orthodox
Church); His Grace Bishop Nectarios of Karpasia (Church of Cyprus);
representatives of Local Orthodox Churches at the Moscow
Patriarchate: His Eminence Metropolitan Athanasios of Cyrene
(Alexandrian Orthodox Church); His Eminence Archbishop Niphon of
Philippopolis (Orthodox Church of Antioch); Archimandrite Stephan
(Dispirakis) (Jerusalem Orthodox Church); Archimandrite Theoktistos
(Dimitrov) (Bulgarian Orthodox Church); Archpriest Alexei Juscenko
(Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia);
Schema-Archimandrite Ilya (Nozdrin); Archimandrite Isidor (Minaev),
Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem (Moscow
Patriarchate); Archpriest Vladimir Divakov, Moscow Secretary of the
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Archpriest Michael Ryazantsev,
Senior Priest of Christ the Savior Cathedral; Archpriest Alexander
Ganaba, Secretary of the Moscow Diocesan Administration; Archpriest
Dimitry Smirnov, President of the Synodal Department on Cooperation
with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement; Archpriest Vsevolod
Chaplin, President of the Synodal Department on Church-Social
Relations; Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, Vice President of the
Department of External Church Relations; Abbot Philaret (Bulekov),
Vice President of the DECR; Hieromonk Antony (Sevriuk), Prior of the
Stavropegial Church of Great Martyr Catherine in Rome; the priors of
stavropegial monasteries, and other clergymen of Moscow.
Also praying at Liturgy were the rector of
Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow, Protopresbyter Matthew Stadniuk,
abbesses of local convents, and clergymen and members of the parish
councils of the nation’s capital.
Present at the service was Acting President
of the Republic of Moldova, Marian Lupu; Deputy Director of the
Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, A.D. Beglov;
First Deputy President of the Committee of the State Duma on Foreign
Affairs, L.E. Slutsky and Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Russian Federation A.K.
Negutsa.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin congratulated
His Holiness in the altar.
After the ambo prayer, a moleben of
gratitude was performed, after which His Eminence Metropolitan
Yuvenaly of Krutitsa and Kolomensk read a sermon.
Metropolitan Vladimir then congratulated His Holiness on behalf of
the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church and gave Patriarch Kнrill
a copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church
then
read a sermon to all those in attendance.
The
following day, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All
Russia met with Metropolitan Hilarion at the Patriarchal Residence
at Danilov Monastery in Moscow. They discussed matters pertaining to
the upcoming fifth anniversary of the signing of the Act of
Canonical Communion.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church
expressed his heartfelt greetings to Metropolitan Hilarion,
stressing the importance of the coming anniversary in strengthening
church unity.
A committee had been established by His
Holiness in response to an appeal submitted by members of the Synod
of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad for discussing matters
relating to bolstering ecclesiastical solidarity. The first meeting
of this group was held in Moscow in November 2011.
The Primate of the Russian Church Abroad
informed His Holiness that the Synod of Bishops was preparing for
the celebration. "We hope, with your blessing, to come to Russia on
the anniversary itself and to share the celebration of the fifth
anniversary of the establishment of our unity with the entire
flock," said Metropolitan Hilarion.
These celebrations will take place in May
2012. The signing of the Act of Canonical Communion took place on
May 17, 2007 in Christ the Savior Cathedral.
Press Service of the
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
Photos: www.patriarchia.ru
