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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent the following congratulatory message to the Primate of the Russian Church on 1 February 2010:

Your Holiness,

Please accept my sincere congratulations on the Enthronement Day.

The first year of your patriarch office has been filled with active work for the good of the Russian Orthodox Church and our entire society. And it has been marked with weighty achievements in developing the church-state cooperation and in fulfilling jointly the social and educational tasks so important for Russia.

Your efforts have been especially fruitful in the moral education of the youth. This goal is to be promoted by the introduction of teaching the basics of religious culture and secular ethics in Russian schools and the organization of the work of clergy in the Armed Forces on a regular basis. And your concern for preserving peace and harmony in the country deserves all possible support. A solid basis was and is provided here by the time-honoured traditions of mutual respect among people of various cultures and religions and the broad inter-confessional dialogue to which the Russian Orthodox Church has given serious attention.

A wide response has been gained by the Moscow Patriarchate’s steps to consolidate internal church unity. It has become an important stimulus for the spiritual consolidation of the millions-strong flock of the Russian Orthodox Church throughout the world and especially in the CIS space and for strengthening ties with our compatriots abroad. Thanks to your personal contribution and authority in the world Orthodoxy, there has been an intensive development of relations with Local Orthodox Churches. Fraternal bonds between the nations and states sharing the same spiritual tradition have been getting stronger.

The power of your pastoral word and impressive energy, your skill at conducting dialogue and finding solutions to urgent problems in today’s Church and society have made your patriarchal ministry especially needed. It is my conviction that under your guidance the Church will continue carrying out her lofty mission, working for the benefit of our entire nation and for the spiritual transformation of Russia.

On this auspicious day, I wish Your Holiness from my heart new successes, sound health, peace and long life.

With profound respect,

D. Medvedev