Patriarch Kirill begins his pastoral visit to Great Britain

On October 15, 2016, His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, began his visit to the Diocese of Sourozh devoted to the 300^th anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church’s presence in the British Islands.

His Holiness is accompanied by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations; Archbishop Mark of Berlin, Germany and Great Britain; Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate administrative secretariat; Bishop Antoniy of Bogorodsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate office for the institutions abroad; Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), DECR vice-chairman; Archpriest Andrey Milkin, head of the Moscow Patriarchate protocol service; and Rev. Alexander Volkov, head of the Patriarchal press service.

Among the welcoming party at the airport were Archbishop Yelisey of Sourozh and representatives of the Sourozh diocesan clergy, as well as Mr. A. Yakovenko, Russia’s ambassador to Great Britain.

At the hotel, in which the Russian Orthodox Church’s delegation were accommodated, His Holiness Kirill was greeted by Bishop Jonathan Goodall, a representative of the Church of England.

The first stop of the Patriarchal visit will be the 32 Welbeck Street in London, in which the ROC church used to be in the period from 1913 to 1920.

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At present the Diocese of Sourozh includes 46 parish communities. The ruling bishop is Archbishop Yelisey of Sourozh. Since 1990, Archbishop Anatoly of Kerch has served in London as an assistant bishop.

Serving in the parishes of the Diocese of Sourozh are 22 priest and 9 deacons.

In addition, the Russian Church Outside Russia in Great Britain has 12 parishes, including 2 communities of the western liturgical rite, 1 monastery, 2 chapels, 3 Orthodox missions and one stauropegial representation of the western rite. It has 9 priests and 2 deacons.

Patriarchal Press Service

DECR Communication Service