Primates of the Orthodox Churches of Constantinople and Russia celebrate on the Day of the Holy Spirit

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On May 24, 2010, the Day of the Holy Spirit and the Commemoration Day of Sts Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles, His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who is on a visit to the Russian Orthodox Church, and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Christ the Saviour.

It was also Patriarch Kirill’s Saint’s Day.

The Primates of the two Churches were assisted by members of the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s official delegation including Metropolitans Michael of Austria, Irenaios of Myriofytos and Peristasis and Emmanuel of France, as well as members of the Russian Orthodox Church Holy Synod including Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch for All Belarus; Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Metropolitan Varsonofy of Saransk and Mordovia, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations; as well as Metropolitans Valentine of Orenburg and Buzuluk, Sergiy of Voronezh and Borisogleblsk, Archbishops Longin of Klin, Dimitry of Vitebsk and Orsha, Arseny of Istra, Yevgeny of Vereisk, Feognost of Sergiev Posad, Georgy of Nizhniy Novgorod and Arzamas, and Mark of Yegoryevsk, Bishops Merkury of Zaraisk, Ignaty of Bronnitsa, Roman of Serpukhov, Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, Ieronim (Chernyshev) and Tikhon of Podolsk. Among the concelebrants were also representatives of Local Orthodox Churches to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia including Metropolitan Athanasios of Cyrene (Patriarchate of Alexandria), Archbishop Niphon of Philippopolis (Patriarchate of Antioch), Archimandrite Stephan (Patriarchate of Jerusalem), Bishop Antony of Moravia (Serbian Orthodox Church), Archimandrite Zacchaeus (Orthodox Church in America), as well as the clergy who accompanied His Holiness Bartholomew during his visit, abbots of stauropegial monasteries and clergy from Moscow and the Moscow Region.
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Present at the service were diplomats accredited in Moscow and representatives of public organizations.

After the Divine Liturgy, a thanksgiving was sung to the holy enlighteners of the Slavs, Sts Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles.

Patriarch Kirill addressed Patriarch Bartholomew and his delegation as well as bishops and clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church and worshippers who assembled in the church.

As a token of the joint celebration in the Church of Christ the Savior, Patriarch Kirill presented Patriarch Bartholomew with a set of patriarchal vestments.

On behalf of the Holy Synod and the whole Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Filaret greeted Patriarch Kirill on the occasion of his Name Day.

Then Patriarchs Bartholomew and Kirill led a festive procession from the Church of Christ the Saviour to Vasilievsky Slope next to the Kremlin where the Days of Slavonic Literature and Culture were opened in a solemn ceremony.

DECR Communication Service

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Primates of the Orthodox Churches of Constantinople and Russia celebrate on the Day of the Holy Spirit

Patriarch

Department Chairman

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Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons