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His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was on a primatial visit to Ukraine from July 26 to 28.

The official delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church who accompanied His Holiness included Metropolitan Varsonofy of Saransk and Mordovia, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the department for external church relations, Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, chief of the Moscow Patriarchate administrative secretariat, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the synodal department for church-society relations, V. Legoida, head of the synodal information department, Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, a DECR vice-chairman, and others.

On July 26, Patriarch Kirill met Ukrainian President V. Yanukovich in the Crimea. Later that day, he arrived in Kiev. In his brief talk to the mass media reporters, he told them about the aims of his pastoral visit to Ukraine. After that His Holiness went to the Kiev Laura of the Caves, where he visited the church of the Elevation of the Cross, accompanied by Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine. Then Patriarch Kirill proceeded to the synodal hall of the Kievan Metropolitanate to meet with His Holiness and Beatitude Iliya II, Patriarch-Catholicos of All Georgia.

On July 27, Patriarch Kirill met Ukrainian Prime Minister N. Azarov at the Kiev Laura of the Caves. After their talk he went of St. Vladimir’s Hill.

On the eve of the Day of St. Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles and the Day of the Baptism of Rus’, Patriarch Kirill, Catholicos-Patriarch Iliya and Metropolitan Vladimir said a thanksgiving at the monument to the holy prince at the St. Vladimir Hill.

In the afternoon, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church met for a regular summer session at the Kiev Laura of the Caves. It was chaired by Patriarch Kirill.

After the Holy Synod’s session, Patriarch Kirill attended the opening of an international forum on Orthodox Women: Unity, Service, Love.

In the evening, Patriarch Kirill met with higher education institutions’ rectors at the Shevchenko National University in Kiev. He shared his thoughts about the importance of church tradition in history, culture and science.

On July 28, the commemoration day of St. Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles, Patriarch Kirill, Catholicos-Patriarch Iliya and Metropolitan Vladimir celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Kiev Laura of the Caves. After the service, Patriarch Kirill visited the Memorial of Eternal Glory at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the monument to the victims of the 1930s mass starvation in Kiev.

His Holiness concluded his primatial visit to Ukraine on Thursday. We was seen off at Borispol airport by Metropolitan Vladimir and bishops and clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Patriarchal Press Service reported.

DECR Communication Service