MOSCOW: February 1, 2012
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 Kirill 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 Ilarion 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 Nifon of Philippopolis (Orthodox Church of Antioch); Archimandrite Stephan (Dispirakis) (Jerusalem Orthodox Church); Archimandrite Feoktist (Dimitrov) (Bulgarian Orthodox Church); Protopriest 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); Protopriest Vladimir Divakov, Moscow Secretary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia;  Protopriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, Senior Priest of Christ the Savior Cathedral; Protopriest Alexander Ganaba, Secretary of the Moscow Diocesan Administration; Protopriest Dimitry Smirnov, President of the Synodal Department on Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement; Protopriest Vsevolod Chaplin, President of the Synodal Department on Church-Social Relations; Protopriest Nikolai Balashov, Vice President of the Department of External Church Relations; Hegumen Filaret (Bulekov), Vice President of the DECR; Hieromonk Antony (Sevriuk), Prior of the Stavropighial Church of Great Martyr Catherine in Rome; the priors of stavropighial monasteries, and other clergymen of Moscow.

Also praying at Liturgy were the Rector of Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow, Protopresbyter Matfei 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, AD Beglov; First Deputy President of the Committee of the State Duma on Foreign Affairs, LE Slutsky and Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Russian Federation AK 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 Kirill 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.

Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia