Patriarch Kirill arrives in Bucharest

October 26, 2017 – His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia arrived in the capital city of Romania at the invitation of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania.

During his visit, Patriarch Kirill will attend events held by the Romanian Orthodox Church as part of the Year of Memory for the Defenders of Orthodoxy during the atheistic regime in Romania. Among those invited to the events are heads and representatives of a number of Local Orthodox Churches who will take part in the celebrations marking the 10^th anniversary of the enthronement of Patriarch Daniel of Romania.

At Henri Coanda Airport Patriarch Kirill was met by Patriarch Daniel of Romania, Russian Ambassador to Romania V. Kuzmin, Metropolitan Niphon of Târgovişte, head of the Romanian Patriarchate department for external church relations, and other officials.

At the request of Patriarch Daniel, Patriarch Kirill has brought to Romania a shrine with a part of the relics with St Seraphim of Sarov as a gift to the Romanian Orthodox Church.

The patriarchs exchanged speeches of greetings in the presence of mass media reporters.

Patriarch Daniel said, ‘Your Beatitude Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. On behalf of the Holy Synod, the clergy and laity we all say to you: Welcome to Romania!

We rejoice in the fact that you have responded to our invitation to pay tribute to the martyrs and defenders of Orthodoxy during the communist rule, to those who testified to their faithfulness to Orthodoxy.

We are also very glad that you have come to Romania to convey as a gift the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov who is known not only in Russia but also throughout the Orthodox world. And we pray to St. Seraphim of Sarov and St. Demetrius the New, Protector of Bucharest, that your visit to Romania may be blessed and beneficial for the church communion between our two Churches. Welcome!’

In his response, Patriarch Kirill said, ‘Your Beatitude, dear brothers and sisters, I am delighted to set foot on the Romanian land. I have been to Bucharest, to Romania, but that was as far back as the last century.

Being in Bucharest, I have the honour to extend my congratulations to my brother, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel on the occasion of the 10^th anniversary of this ministry at the Patriarchal See of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

This day coincides with the commemoration day of St. Demetrius the New, Protector of Bucharest. I am also very glad that in connection with these events I could bring to the Romanian people the relics of one of the most venerated Russian saints – St. Seraphim of Sarov.

The saints of Romania and the saints of Russia are our common saints. The values of Orthodoxy are the same for the Romanians and the Russians and for other Orthodox countries. Really good relations between people can be only if we share values. And however history may develop, we as Orthodox people living in different countries should remember that we have common values, a common system of vital coordinates and it means that we have a tremendous potential for a life in peace, love, cooperation and interaction.

I would like to greet you wholeheartedly once again, to greet Your Beatitude, the reverent hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church and all the Romanian Orthodox people. May the Lord preserve Romania!’

From the airport the Primates of the Russian and Romanian Orthodox Churches proceeded to the Patriarchal Cathedral of Ss Constantine and Helen Equal-to-the Apostles in Bucharest.

The official delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church who accompany Patriarch Kirill during this visit to the Romanian Orthodox Church includes Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR); Archbishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate administrative secretariat; Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations; Rev. Alexander Volkov, head of the Patriarchal Press Service; and Archpriest Andrey Bondarenko, acting head of the Patriarchal Protocol Service.

Patriarchal Press Service

DECR Communication Service