Home page News
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill takes part in the op…

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill takes part in the opening ceremony of Slavonic Unity Festival

[gallery]
On 25 June 2011, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia arrived in Bryansk and proceeded to the juncture of borders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to take part in the opening ceremony of the “Slavonic Unity-2011” International Festival.

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated a prayer service at the memorial cross near the Monument of Friendship.

Governor of the Bryansk region Nikolai Denin declared the festival open; national anthems of the Russian Federation, the Republics of Belarus and Ukraine were performed; and national flags were hoisted.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia delivered a welcoming address. Greetings from the State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov were read out.

The Russian Orthodox Church was represented at the ceremony by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, Archbishop Aristarkh of Gomel and Zhlobin, Archbishop Amvrosiy of Chernigov and Novgorod-Severskiy, Bishop Sofroniy of Mogilev and Mstislavl, Bishop Feofilakt of Bryansk and Sevsk; Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchates’ Administrative Secretariat; Bishop Evlogiy of Sumy and Akhtyrka, and Bishop Leonid of Rechitsa, a vicar of the Gomel diocese.

The first meeting of the representatives of the Bryansk (Russia), Gomel (Belarus) and Chernigov (Ukraine) regions took place at the village of Novye Yurkovichi, Bryansk region, in 1969. The Monument of Friendship was erected there in 1975 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

A memorial cross was erected near the monument with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II in 1995.

Heads of the legislative assemblies of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine attended the festival in 1999 and 2002; His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II – in 2001, and presidents of the three states – in 2004.

In November 2010, the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church met at the juncture of the borders of the three states. They were Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Archbishop Amvrosiy of Chernigov and Novgorod-Severskiy, Bishop Feofilakt of Bryansk and Sevsk, and Bishop Leonid of Rechitsa, a vicar of the Gomel diocese. Metropolitan Hilarion celebrated a prayer service at the memorial cross for the wellbeing of the three fraternal nations.

By tradition, the Bryansk, Gomel and Chernigov regions host the festival in rotation. This year it was the Bryansk region, Russia.

That same day, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill met with the leadership of the three regions and with the ruling hierarchs of the three dioceses not far from the monument at the Klimovo district, Bryansk region.

Share:
Congratulations of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the President of Turkey on his 70th birthday

26.02.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill's condolences in connection with the murder of the monks of the Ziquala Abo Monastery in Ethiopia

24.02.2024

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the XII Christmas Parliamentary Meetings at the Federation Council of the Russian Federation

23.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: Patriarch of Constantinople is not a free man

07.01.2024

Christmas Message from Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Rus’

06.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill had phone conversation with Metropolitan Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol

02.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill expresses condolences over deadly earthquake in northwest China

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill congratulates Mr Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on his re-election as President of Egypt

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill welcomes the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the decoration of the Church of St Sava in Belgrade

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presides over jubilee meeting of Inter-Religious Council of Russia

07.12.2023

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at jubilee meeting of Inter-Religious Council of Russia

07.12.2023

Patriarchal greetings on the occasion of 60th anniversary of the Diocese of Vienna and Austria

26.11.2023

Primate of Russian Church presents historic miracle-working Kazan Icon of the Mother of God to the faithful and celebrates Liturgy in the Kremlin Dormition Cathedral

04.11.2023

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ to the participants of the World Conference of Compatriots Living Abroad

01.11.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill met with the Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East

31.10.2023

Metropolitan Hilarion: Many things in a person's life depend on faith

29.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Holy Spirit is the main treasure of the Christian soul

01.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: Holiness is a constant striving to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ

27.06.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: God does not want to condemn, but to save us

07.03.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord always grants to us the opportunity to display our talents

24.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord has imbued the waters of Jordan with his divine presence to wash away human sins

19.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: to repent means to change your way of life

17.01.2021

On commemoration day of St. Catherine, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk officiated at the Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr In-the-Fields  the representation of the Orthodox Church in America

07.12.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We can always show compassion for people

29.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates on commemoration day of St. Varlaam of Khutyn at the church of ‘Joy to All the Afflicted’ icon of the Mother of God

19.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We should remember that the life of each human being is in the hands of God

06.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: For God there is nothing impossible

25.10.2020

Metropoplitan Hilarion: The cross which was an instrument of dishonourable execution becomes the symbol of salvation for millions of people

27.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Eucharist is the wedding feast, to which Lord Jesus Christ invites each of us

13.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Faith alone is not enough for salvation

30.08.2020

Page is available in the following languages
Feedback

Fields marked by * are mandatory required

Send a message
Рус Укр Eng Deu Ελλ Fra Ita Бълг ქარ Срп Rom عرب