Print This Post


On 28 August 2015, the Feast of the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin.

By celebrating the Liturgy together with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria concluded his pilgrimage to the Russian land.

Concelebrating with His Beatitude and His Holiness were Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Athanasios of Kyrene, representative of the Patriarch of Alexandria to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Metropolitan Arseniy of Istra, first vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in the city of Moscow; Archbishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Finance and Economic Administration; Bishop Meletios of Naukratis (Patriarchate of Alexandria); Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk; Bishop Savva of Voskresensk, first deputy chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archpriest Vladimir Divakov, secretary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in the city of Moscow; Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church-Society Relations; Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR vice-chairman; Archpriest Alexander Abramov, director of the Moscow Patriarchate events protocol; Archpriest Vladimir Vorobyev, Dean of St Tikhon’s Orthodox University of Humanities; and Moscow clergy.

After the Litany of Fervent Supplication, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said a prayer for peace in Ukraine.

Before the Communion, Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk read out the Message of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the first archpastoral visit of Metropolitan Peter of Kiev and All Rus’ to Moscow.

After the Liturgy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia addressed the worshippers with his Primatial homily. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church greeted Patriarch Theodoros and presented him with a patriarchal vestment.

His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa thanked His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and presented him with a panagia depicting the Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, as well as a model of the Monastery of St George the Great Martyr in Cairo. The Russian Emperors were among those who at different times took part in the restoration of the monastery.

Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

DECR Communication Service

Photo by Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia