Department for External Church Relations
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On Good Friday the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Vespers with the Procession of the Burial Sheet of the Saviour at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow.
Communications Service of the DECR, 18.04.2025.
On 18th April 2025 on Good Friday, the day dedicated to the remembrance of the Holy Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill celebrated at the Christ the Saviour Church in Moscow Great Vespers with the Procession of the Burial Sheet of the Saviour.
Concelebrating with His Holiness were: the metropolitan of Voskresensk Gregory, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchy and first auxiliary bishop of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for the city of Moscow; the metropolitan of Volokolamsk Anthony, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; the bishop of Istra Seraphim, chairman of the Synodal department for youth affairs; the bishop of Ramenskoye Alexis, personal secretary to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, sacristan of the Christ the Church Cathedral; archpriest Georgy Martynov, cleric of the Christ the Saviour Cathedral, and clergy from around the capital, reports the press service of the Patriarch.
Attending the service in the cathedral were: Russian State Duma deputy and warden of the Patriarchal Dormition Cathedral N. Yu. Chaplin and the first deputy director of Russian Railways V. V. Mikhailov.
The hymns for the service were sung by the Patriarchal Choir of Christ the Saviour Cathedral under choir master Ilya Tolkachev.
At the end of Vespers, when the hymn “The most noble Joseph…” was being sung, the Holy Burial Sheet upon which the Lord’s entombment is depicted, was carried out in procession from the sanctuary to the centre of the church.
The homily was delivered by archpriest Andrei Tkachev, rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity ‘v Khokhlakh’ in Moscow.
The service was broadcast live by TV stations Soyuz and Spas, as well as on the official portal of the Russian Orthodox Church patriarchia.ru.
At the conclusion of the service the faithful were able to venerate the Holy Burial Sheet.
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