Print This Post


Grand meeting dedicated to the 70th birthday of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia took place at the Hall of Church Councils in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on November 21, 2016.

Before the meeting, the participants of the celebrations prayed at the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, and sacristan of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and clergymen of Moscow.

The presidium in the Hall of Church Councils included His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia; His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa; His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia; His Holiness Patriarch Irenaeus of Serbia; His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II of New Justiniana and All Cyprus; His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania; His Beatitude Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland; His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia; His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada; Metropolitan Nifon of Philippopolis, Antiochian Patriarchate; Metropolitan Timothy of Vostra, Patriarchate of Jerusalem; Metropolitan Nifon of Targovisgte, Romanian Patriarchate; Metropolitan Anthony of Western and Central Europe, Bulgarian Patriarchate; Metropolitan Ignatios of Demetrias, the Greek Orthodox Church; and also His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine; and His Eminence Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna.

Taking part in the grand meeting also were Metropolitan Vladimir of Kishinev and All Moldova; Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan; Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan; Metropolitan Varsonofy of St.Petersburg and Ladoga, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus; Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk; chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; members of the delegations and representatives of the Local Orthodox Churched to the Moscow Patriarchal Throne; hierarchs; abbots of the monasteries; and clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The primates and representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches delivered speeches of cordial greetings to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill with his 70th birthday.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry congratulated His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on behalf of the permanent members of the Holy Synod and of all bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church and also on behalf of the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine.

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed the participants and in conclusion of the meeting Metropolitan Juvenaly proclaimed and all the participants sang “Many Years!’ to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.