Birthday greetings to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill from members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church

Members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church sent a message of greetings to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ on his birthday.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’

Your Holiness, Most Holy Vladyka, Great Master and Merciful Father,

With respectful love in the Lord, we extend to you our heartfelt birthday greetings.

Raised by pious parents and inspired by their unwavering trust in the Lord and sincere love, even at a young age you could not imagine your life without Christ and outside His Church. The seed of faith was grown in your soul first by your parents, of blessed repose, and later by your spiritual mentors, whose wish was that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Tim 3:17).

Heeding their valuable exhortations and striving to behave holily and justly and unblameably (1 Thess 2:10), you generously watered the sprout of faith with the living word of God, warmed it with your heartfelt prayer, nourished it with deeds of love, rooted it in truth and cut off all that was harmful to the soul. As years passed, the sprout became a mighty tree bringing forth abundant and good fruit.

Knowing that God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love (2 Tim 1:7), you boldly embarked on the path of service to Him and have been following it for more than half a century now. Having seen in you a zealous steward of His Vineyard who follows after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience (1 Tim 6:11), the Lord called you to archpastoral and later Patriarchal ministry, so that you may continue the work of the holy hierarchs who had brought glory to our capital city, which is radiantly clothed in Orthodoxy and guarded by the Archangels’ wings (Stichera to the Synaxis of the Moscow Saints).

For more than 15 years, you have been doing everything in your power so that the Holy Rus’, which is beloved of God, may not perish, and all our enemies may realize that they labour in vain (cf. Canon to the Holy Hieromartyr Hermogenes). You work tirelessly and strenuously to develop church life in and beyond our country, being steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord (1 Kor 15:58).

In everything you do – be it celebrating divine services with unfailing ardour, visiting various dioceses, including remote ones, or meeting with archpastors and representatives of secular authorities, as well as with priests and laypeople – you pursue your major goal, which is the spiritual revival of our people. Your soul has no greater desire than that faith and love be multiplied in people.

Taking care of your millions-strong flock, you edify them with your word, which is always with grace, seasoned with salt (Col 4:6), proclaiming to them the truth of God, speaking unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort (1 Kor 14:3). In all difficult circumstances, you abide with your people, not avoiding the multitudes longing for consolation and advice; you hearten and inspire your contemporaries, knowing that sorrow is more evil than all the spirits, and is most fatal to the servants of God (The Shepherd of Hermas, Mandate 10). To comfort those in turmoil and fear, you always address them with your moving homilies, convincingly bearing witness that the All-Wise Lord, Who has the universal and general providence of the whole, is the Framer and Father of this universe (Athenagoras the Athenian, A Plea for the Christians, XIII, XXIV).

On this important day for the Church, we give thanks to God and joyfully exclaim: Fitting it is for one who is all-wise to enlighten those who lack wisdom, for one who is strong in the Lord to strengthen the weak; and it is meet for you to become a bishop – the one who can do everything in Christ Jesus (Canon to the Holy Hieromartyr Hermogenes).

Many and good years to come for Your Holiness!

Is polla eti, Despota.

Members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church

20^th November 2025