His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II awarded the national Man of the Year prize and the Outstanding People of the Decade prize. Metropolitan Kirill named Man of the Year

HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH ALEXY II AWARDED THE NATIONAL MAN OF THE YEAR PRIZE AND THE OUTSTANDING PEOPLE OF THE DECADE PRIZE. METROPOLITAN KIRILL NAMED MAN OF THE YEAR

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia has been awarded the national Man of the Year prize and the Outstanding People of the 1990-2000 Decade Who Contributed to the Well-Being and Glorification of Russia prize.

At a solemn ceremony on December 14, at the Metropol Hotel, the director of the Russian Biographical Institute and editor-in-chief of the Russian Who Is Who magazine, S. Rybas, announced that His Holiness Patriarch Alexy was elected the Man of the Year for his outstanding contribution to the spiritual development of Russia. The Outstanding People of the Decade was awarded His Holiness for the restoration of the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the spiritual life of the country.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy thanked the Experts Council of the Russian Biographical Institute for the high award. He said in particular, “For over 50 years I have been a servant of the Russian Orthodox Church which has always been with her people. I will exert every effort to continue serving the Church, the Fatherland and the people of our country”.

President V. V. Putin has been awarded the Man of the Year prize for his contribution to the consolidation of the Russian statehood. Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, was named Man of the Year in the area of religion for his efforts for developing the educational traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church. Speaking about him, S. Rybas noted that Metropolitan Kirill directed the development of the Bases of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church (http://www.mospat.ru/s2000r23.htm).

Among those awarded the prizes in the areas of politics, economy, culture, science, education and sports are Minister of Justice Yu. Chaika, Central Bank President V. Geraschenko, Chairman of the Russian Cinematographers Union, N. Mikhalkov, musician Yu. Bashmet, Director of the Cardiovascular Surgery Institute L. Bokeria, tennis player M. Safin, Chairman of the Federation Council E. Stroyev, Moscow Mayor Yu. Luzhkov, Chairman a State Duma committee, S. Glazyev, Moscow State University rector V. Sadovnichy, President of Russia’s Academy of Fine Arts Z. Tsereteli, who is a member of the committee for the restoration of the Church of Christ the Saviour, Chairman of the Gazprom Board R. Vyakhirev, sportsman A. Karelin and traveler F. Konyukhov.