Monday, February 9, 2009

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia

The enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia took place at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on 1 February 2009. He was elected to the Moscow Patriarchal Throne by the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church on January 27.

He was elected following the death of Patriarch Alexy II who was buried on December 9.

According to ancient custom, the bells started ringing fifteen minutes before the Divine service; as the nominated Patriarch arrived, festal peeling began. At the entrance to the cathedral, the elected Primate of the Russian Church was met with bread and salt.

The archpastors, pastors, monastics and thousands of laymen gathered at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria Theodore, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania, His Beatitude Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland, His Beatitude Metropolitan Christopher of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, and delegations of all Local Orthodox Churches attended the enthronement.

Present at the Cathedral were Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Chairman of the Russian Government Vladimir Putin, heads and representatives of authorities of other countries in the territory of the canonical responsibility of the Russian Church, and representatives of non-Orthodox communities.

The nominated Patriarch Kirill was vested as bishop plus the great paraman, a piece of cloth with the embroidered cross that is placed on the Patriarch by custom.

Read more here.

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