Primate of the Russian Church celebrates at Christ the Saviour Cathedral on the Sunday of Orthodoxy

On 24 March 2013, the first Sunday in Lent known as the Sunday of Orthodoxy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great and the Office of the Triumph of Orthodoxy in the Christ the Saviour Cathedral, press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia reports.

Concelebrating was the assembly of hierarchs, including Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. Attending the celebration were ambassadors of the Greek Republic, the Republic of Serbia, the Republic of Slovenia, apostolic nuncio to the RF, representatives of the embassies of Poland, Czechia and Albania.

At the Little Entrance, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church elevated Archbishops Iona of Astrakhan and Kamyziak and Rostislav of Tomsk and Asino to the rank of metropolitans in compliance with the decision of the Holy Synod of March 12 to establish the Astrakhan and Tomsk metropolitan areas.

After reading from the Gospel, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill delivered a sermon and after the liturgy he celebrated the office of the Triumph of Orthodoxy and congratulated the worshippers with the first Sunday in Lent.