His Holiness Patriarch Kirill arrives in Strasbourg

On 25 May 2019, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia began his visit to Strasbourg, France.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was met at Entzein airport in Strasbourg by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the French Republic Alexei Meshkov; permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the Council of Europe Ivan Soltanovsky; Metropolitan John of Korsun and Western Europe, and Hegumen Philipp (Riabykh), representative of the Moscow Patriarchate to the Council of Europe and rector of the Church of All Saints in Strasbourg.
The delegation accompanying His Holiness Kirill consists of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR); Metropolitan Sergy of Singapore and Southeast Asia; Archbishop Antony of Vienna and Budapest, head of Moscow Patriarchate’s Administration of Institutions Abroad; Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov,) DECR vice-chairman; Archpriest Andrei Bondarenko, head of the Patriarchal protocol service; and Rev. Alexander Volkov, head of the Patriarchal press service.
On Sunday, May 26, His Holiness will consecrate the Russian Orthodox Church of All Saints in Strasbourg and officiate at the Divine Liturgy at the newly consecrated church.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church will meet with the Mayor of the city and with the head of the Catholic diocese. His Holiness will attend a concert performed by the choir of the Kievan theological schools at the Strasbourg Cathedral.
During his visit His Holiness will meet with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thornbjørn Jagland and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović.