On May 24, 2024, at the Cathedral Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, at the end of the Divine Liturgy, a reception was held on the occasion of the Day of Slavonic Literature and Culture and the namesake of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Before the reception began in the Throne Room of the Patriarchal Chambers, His Holiness was congratulated by: First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation A.D. Zhukov; Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation A.Yu. Kuznetsova; Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Advisor to the Mayor of Moscow, Advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia on construction issues, supervisor of the Program for the construction of Orthodox churches in Moscow V.I. Resin; Head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare — Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation A.Yu. Popova; Chairman of the Moscow City Duma A.V. Shaposhnikov; First Deputy Director General of JSC «Russian Railways» V.V. Mikhailov; Chairman of the Public Council. Mikhailov; Chairman of the Public Council of the Federal Party Project «Older Generation» Director of the Health Department of the Government of the Russian Federation I.N. Kagramanyan; Vice-President of the Russian Union of Chemists A.G. Guryev; President of the Russian Union of Chemists Russian Association of Mineral Fertilizer Producers A.A. Guryev; Senior Vice President — Financial Director of MMC «Norilsk Nickel» S.G. Malyshev; Acting General Director of the art and production enterprise «Sofrino» A.V. Potemkin; Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the All-Russian Public Movement «Russia Orthodox» M.M. Ivanov.
Holy Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill shared a meal with the participants of the festivities.
Holy Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill shared a meal with the participants of the festivities.
Holy Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia shared a meal with the participants of the celebrations.
Welcome speeches at the reception were made by: Metropolitan Varsonofiy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga; Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, head of the LDPR faction in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs L.E. Slutsky; Governor of the Moscow region A.Yu. Vorobyov; Chairman of the Moscow City Duma A.V. Shaposhnikov.
On behalf of the representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches at the Moscow Patriarchal Throne, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill was congratulated by Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis.
Holy Patriarch Kirill was congratulated by Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis.
Holy Patriarch Kirill concluded by thanking those gathered:
«I would like all of you to to thank you for participating in today's celebration, for our common prayer, for participating in the joint divine service and in this fraternal meal. We call such events in the Church celebrations, but from a purely ecclesiological point of view, these gatherings help the Primate of the Church, and many of my fellow Episcopalians, to better feel and understand what is happening in the Church.
We call our Church a cathedral Church because it is indeed governed by Councils. But this does not mean that we are only talking about formally assembled Councils — we are talking about the very principle of sobornost, when the Church is governed by the mind of the sobor, when there is no one who determines everything. And it is hard to imagine what would have happened to our Church in the East, including Russia, if our Church had been governed differently. During the most difficult years of persecution, oppression, almost the destruction of our Church, we survived, we survived because our episcopate survived, the unanimity of our bishops survived. I remember that era well, and I remember how all the forces of the state were thrown to break the unity of the episcopate, to push some against others, using some purely human contradictions. We went through a very disturbing time, but we preserved our unity!
And today, if we speak about the internal life of Russia and other countries to which the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate extends, then, of course, the situation is quite favorable. Despite the fact that on the outside there are "sparks", inside there is still solidarity and mutual support. And it is very important that at this very time, when everything is not calm on the external circuit, our Church is an example of unity, single-mindedness and cohesion. These are not just beautiful words; it is the way it is, and I appreciate it very much.
I appreciate the work of our lords, because a lot depends on their work, on their service in the field. I appreciate the work of our clergy, our monks, who do a lot to strengthen Orthodoxy in our land.
I cannot but speak once again about the very favorable system of relations and even purely emotional background against which church-state relations are developing. I thank our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for his attention to church affairs. As a person of faith, Orthodox — not according to a questionnaire or statistics, but truly Orthodox, ecclesiastical, — he does a lot to ensure that the general atmosphere in the country is favorable for the preservation of our historic spiritual and moral values.
In other words, despite the fact that not everything is calm outside the Fatherland, the conditions in which we live give us the opportunity to gather our strength, our thoughts, to concentrate our will and be ready for any development of events. We live in a very unstable world, but the Church has always been responsible for the fate of its people.
So all of you, my dear lords, and through you — all the clergy, monastics, pious laymen — I call on all of us together to really work for the good of the Church and the Fatherland, to strengthen the unity without which Russia cannot exist, without which other countries close to us in spirit, especially our Slavic brothers, connected with us by the community of historical destiny, cannot exist either.
God grant that despite the external storms, despite the sorrows that visit us, the unity of our people will be strengthened. And this unity largely depends on the unity of our Church. Once again, I would like to thank all of you, my dear lords, because the preservation and strengthening of this unity depends on you.
After the meal in the Hall of the High Church Council with the day of the His Holiness was congratulated on his namesake by the bishops and clergy of Moscow. On behalf of those gathered, Metropolitan Gregory of Voskresensk, Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate and First Vicar for Moscow of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, addressed the Primate. An ancient icon of Christ the Savior was presented to His Holiness.
Metropolitan Gregory of Voskresensk also said that as a gift, the funds raised by the parishes were used to purchase medical equipment for the Central Clinical Hospital of St. Alexis.
Metropolitan Gregory of Voskresensk.
In his reply, His Holiness said: «Dear Vladyks, fathers, brothers, Mother Abbesses, sisters! I thank you all for your kind attitude towards the Patriarch, which I feel. It manifests itself in big things, and even in small things, but every time it warms my heart. Because this is the Patriarch's fate — he first of all faces problems, difficulties, sometimes fateful ones. And the Patriarch's cross — it is not a metaphor, it is a reality, because the solution to all these problems is associated with physical, psychological, spiritual exhaustion. And if my strength is replenished, it is only thanks to the prayer, which for me is lifted up to the Lord by the whole Church.
«I am all of you. I thank you for your unanimity with the Patriarch, for your support of my labors, for your prayers, and I ask everyone not to be lacking in these prayers. Because I feel from my experience: sometimes it is as if there is no tailwind, it is calm, the sails are all sagging, but suddenly the wind starts to blow from somewhere, and you start to gain speed and move in the direction in which you should move. Where does that come from? Of course, through prayer, through the help of the whole Church. Therefore, once again I thank you all sincerely. Each of you is working worthily in your place, and God grant us to continue our cathedral ministry and our cathedral movement towards the Lord. Here, come, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20). Christ is Risen!"» — concluded the Primate.
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Afterwards, in the Sergius Hall of Christ the Savior Cathedral, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia received congratulations from the bishops and clergy who took part in the Liturgy.
In the Throne Hall, His Holiness Patriarch was congratulated by Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation V.V. Volodin. Volodin.
Press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
