Print This Post


On November 19, 2016, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church met with Metropolitan Emmanuel of France representing Patriarchate of Constantinople at the celebrations devoted to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia’s 70th birthday. They met at the patriarchal residence in the St. Daniel Patriarchal Monastery in Moscow.

The metropolitan arrived in Moscow on November 18. At Sheremetyevo airport he was welcomed by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR); Bishop Antoniy of Bogorodsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate office for institutions abroad, Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman, and Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations.

Having greeted Metropolitan Emmanuel, Patriarch Kirill noted with regret that His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople was not able to come for the celebrations. ‘We will remember him in our prayers together with all the brothers who will come to Moscow to testify once again to our Orthodox unity and our communion in the Holy Eucharist’, His Holiness stressed.

In his turn, the guest conveyed to Patriarch Kirill congratulations and best wishes from the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople.

They continued the talk by discussing inter-church cooperation and pan-Orthodox unity.

As a token of Patriarch Kirill’s birthday celebrations, His Holiness will convey to His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew liturgical vestments sewn after the Greek pattern, a crosier and Patriarch Kirill’s Collected Works in nine volumes. His Holiness presented Metropolitan Emmanuel with a bishop’s crozier.

Participating in the talk were also Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Bishop Antoniy of Bogorodsk, Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, Rev. Anatoly Churyakov and Deacon Feodor Shulga.

DECR Communication Service