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His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia paid an official visit to the Orthodox Church of Cyprus on June 8-11, 2012.

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was accompanied by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR); Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administrative Secretariat; Mr. Vladimir Legoida, chairman of the Synodal Information Department; archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR deputy chairman; archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations; protodeacon Vladimir Nazarkin, assistant to the DECR chairman; and Mr. Mikhail Kuksov, acting head of the Patriarch’s personal secretariat.

On the first day of the visit, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the hierarchs who accompanied him, attended the session of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus.

After that, His Holiness laid wreaths at the “Filakizmena Mnimata” monument to the fighters for the liberation of Cyprus from colonial rule and at the memorial at the military cemetery near Nicosia.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II of New Justiniana and All Cyprus celebrated the Divine Liturgies at the Church of St. Sophia on June 10 and the Church of St. Barnabas on June 11.

On June 8, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church visited the convent of St. Iraklidios, where he met with the relatives of archimandrite Ephrem, abbot of the Vatopedi monastery on the Holy Mount Athos. His Holiness also visited the stavropegic monastery of the Kikka icon of the Mother of God.

On June 9, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos visited the “Famagusta” cultural centre in Deryneia.

The Primates and their suite also visited the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. George in Paralimni. A solemn ceremony was held at the cathedral square, during which Mayor Pirillis presented His Holiness Patriarch Kirill with a symbolic key to the city.

His Holiness consecrated the foundation stone at the construction site of a church to be built in Limassol for the Russian-speaking community.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill met with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Dimitris Christofias. His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II joined them in the meeting.

On the last day of the visit, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill had a talk with His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II and all hierarchs of the Church of Cyprus, members of the Holy Synod.

In conclusion of his visit to the Island of the Saints, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill visited the Church of St. Lazarus in Larnaka. His Holiness was given the shrine with a particle of relics of St. Lazarus as a gift to the Russian Orthodox Christians from the Church of Cyprus.