Patriarchal service. On Tuesday of the first week of Great Lent, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrated Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of St.

29.11.2017

17:19 The Patriarch noted that “many important issues have accumulated that require conciliar discussion and balanced decisions” and called on all archpastors “in the spirit of brotherly love to work diligently for the greater glory of God, for the benefit of the countries and peoples that make up the single spiritual space of the Moscow Patriarchate.”

17:18 Concluding the report, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said: “Having gone through the crucible of trials in the last twentieth century, overcoming turmoil and disorder, suffering even to the point of bleeding, she was able to preserve the main thing: unity, holiness, conciliarity, apostolic succession and fidelity to Christ the Savior.”

17:17 In addition, one of the results of the meeting between Patriarch Kirill and the Pope was the bringing into the Russian Orthodox Church of the relics of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, the Wonderworker, this summer. Several million people worshiped the shrine.

17:15 The Patriarch touched upon the problem of union in Ukraine: “An important place in the Joint Declaration signed by us with the Pope is occupied by the call for active peacekeeping and social solidarity in Ukraine. And the Hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Holy See have repeatedly emphasized that the only way to resolve the Ukrainian conflict is to implement the Minsk agreements. An important prerequisite for achieving interfaith harmony in Ukraine was the statement that union is not a means to achieve unity between Churches and that proselytism in any form is unacceptable in Orthodox-Catholic relations. For the first time in history, such an assessment of union and proselytism was made not only by the Orthodox side, but also by the head of the Roman Catholic Church."

17:14 “The time has come to seriously think about resolving the problems that Syria will face after the establishment of peace in this country. The most important issue is the creation of conditions for the safe residence of Christians and the return of refugees. It is necessary to restore destroyed churches, infrastructure and housing. The Russian Orthodox Church will contribute in every possible way to this process ", assured the Patriarch.

17:13 His Holiness emphasized that " main reason organization of the meeting in Cuba became tragic situation, in which Christians found themselves in the Middle East and North Africa"The Patriarch noted that after the signing of the Joint Statement, the persecution of Christians began to be called what it is - “genocide.”

17:09 “The document “Mission of the Orthodox Church in the Modern World” still contains a number of ambiguous formulations, without which the document cannot be considered completely satisfactory.
Uncertainty that requires clarification is also present in the new wording included at the Council in the document “Orthodox Diaspora”.
The “Message of the Council” and the “District Message of the Council” prepared and adopted directly at the Council also contain a number of not entirely clear expressions. Our Church, in my opinion, cannot agree with some of them. At the same time, understanding social issues, expressed in the messages of the Council, as a whole does not contradict the social teaching of the Russian Orthodox Church."

17:08 “The terminology of the document “The Sacrament of Marriage and Obstacles to It” also requires clarification. In particular, it seems unclear what the term “civil union” means in relation to persons of different sexes, which, as noted in the document, the Church does not recognize as possible for its members.”

17:08 A document about relations with the rest of the Christian world - “in general it has undergone changes in better side taking into account the criticism expressed against him. Thus, an important mention of the rejection of Uniatism was included in the document. However, many formulations remain not entirely clear and satisfactory; they can be understood in the sense that we are talking about restoring the unity of Christians, and not about restoring unity with the Church of Christian communities separated from it. This is exactly how this conciliar text was read by some critics of the document. Unfortunately, our amendments were not taken into account."

17:03 The Synodal Biblical Theological Commission presented conclusions on the “Cretan documents”, which were proposed for discussion at the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church.

17:02 The Cretan Council is not considered by our Church as pan-Orthodox. And the documents cannot be considered as expressing a pan-Orthodox consensus.

16:57 Four Churches called for the postponement of the Cretan Council, in connection with this the Holy Synod of the Russian Church proposed to urgently discuss the situation before meeting.

16:49 State of affairs in Kazakhstan. The law “On approval of the Concept” was adopted here public policy V religious sphere in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2017-2020.” It, in view of the danger of radicalization of society and the threats of religious extremism, emphasizes the secular nature of the state. The Patriarch expressed his “firm hope that the activities of the Metropolitan District in the Republic of Kazakhstan will continue to enjoy the support of the state and society, and legislative changes will not lead to restrictions on the social and educational activities of the Church.”

16:47 Returning to Ukraine: “Of particular concern are attempts on the part of certain political forces to interfere in matters of the internal life of the Church, to prevent the registration of its communities, and to consolidate religious discrimination at the legislative level.” Therefore, “His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, the episcopate, the clergy and all the faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church really need deep prayers. The events of recent years confirm that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church remains the only force capable of uniting Ukrainian society. The courageous, balanced position of its hierarchy, which does not allow it to be drawn in The Church is not on either side of the conflict, but the efforts of the Church to free the captives are bearing fruit in significant quantities. humanitarian aid to civilians of Donbass affected by military operations. The peacemaking feat of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church demonstrates its love for Ukraine, its true patriotism."

16:46 As part of countering extremism, since the fall of 2016, schools in Azerbaijan have been paying more attention to teaching academic disciplines related to the study of religions. The dialogue between the authorities of the republic and the Baku diocese that has developed over the years of interaction provides ample opportunities for solving pressing issues and problems of Orthodox believers.

16:44 Everything is not simple in Moldova. The Patriarch said that "in recent years"There has been a tendency towards a decrease in funding for programs aimed at the reconstruction and restoration of many churches and monasteries that are of special cultural significance for the country."

16:43 In Belarus, the traditional areas of church-state cooperation remain peacemaking, civil dialogue, spiritual and moral education and cultural and educational service, education, healthcare, and protecting the population from destructive and extremist influences. They are supervised by special church-state bodies.

16:41 “Family and childhood are one of the most important topics arising in the public and, in particular, information space. The Church is called upon to be at the forefront of discussions on this topic and practical affairs.”

16:39 “A total of 1,019 pastors provide care for the prisons.”

16:37 “During the inter-council period, the number of appointed full-time military clergy increased by 148 people, and today stands at 176 people. To this we can add 45 candidates who are currently undergoing approval by the Ministry of Defense or registration in the dioceses. Thus, 84% staff positions have already been replaced or will soon be replaced. There are 773 clergy serving on a freelance basis to various law enforcement agencies.”

16:34 “In every state, archpastors, clergy and laity, regardless of personal citizenship, pray for the peace and well-being of the country where they live and work for its good.”

16:32 The Patriarch also noted that “book publishing is inextricably linked with art and creativity.” “The council’s order to create a centralized system for distributing book publications across dioceses faced a crisis in the industry. For this reason, as well as due to a number of other circumstances that the Publishing Council identified, it was decided to abandon the creation of the mentioned centralized system as ineffective. Adapting to modern conditions, we should look for other forms of popularizing book products,” he told the members of the Council.

16:31 “One of the difficulties that arises in the work of ancient guardians is due to the fact that their professional assessments and recommendations sometimes do not find understanding among the clergy or in diocesan administrations, and the reasons for this are, for example, the personal taste preferences of clergy representatives. It should be remembered that in the matter for the preservation of monuments, it is better to listen to the reasoned opinion of a professional.”

16:29 The Patriarch emphasized that the tasks of the Church are higher than those tasks that people usually attribute to the tasks of art and creativity.

16:28 “Here it is impossible to establish formal, unshakable norms that oblige, say, all believers to only one thing, in a certain way relate to a specific book, play or film. The only exceptions are cases of obvious blasphemy and blasphemy intentionally allowed by the artist in his work. Such works are unacceptable for a believer.
The specificity of art, especially modern art, is such that sometimes forms that are outwardly far from harmony hide the search for truth and serious ideological reflections. This is especially true in relation to youth subcultures, when assessing which you need to be especially careful so as not to reject sincere aspirations."

16:26 On the problem of perceiving the fruits of creativity of cultural and artistic figures: “It is important, guided by Christian prudence and a caring attitude towards one’s neighbor, not to succumb to the temptation of rigidly sorting creative phenomena into “acceptable” and “unacceptable.” Acceptance or rejection of a particular work of art or cultural phenomenon is often due to taste preferences or even a certain special training person."

16:23 “Culture in the narrow sense, namely what is associated with art and creativity, is one of those areas of social life that causes a lot of controversy and debate, since art and creativity open up enormous opportunities for influencing people’s minds,” he emphasized. Patriarch.

16:21 After the discussion, the reading of the report resumes.

15:31 But if the positions of specialized assistant deans are filled in more than 90% of Russian dioceses - that’s almost five and a half thousand people, then again 90% of them are part-time workers. Almost 75% work on a voluntary basis. Half of these employees are clergy. In other words, for the vast majority of specialized assistant deans, this work is not their main job.

15:29 Voluntary performance of the duties of a specialized assistant to the dean, part-time work, and, in particular, combination with priestly service - all this in itself is not bad. It is bad if the performance of other church obediences or the secular work of an assistant dean will lead to him fulfilling his duties on a residual basis.

15:22 Another question is about cooperation and dialogue between central office staff and dioceses. Synodal institutions and dioceses should not work without agreement with each other.

15:20 The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church invited the archpastors to study the experience of interaction between bishops of the same metropolis, as well as the intensity of cooperation between employees of diocesan departments in the same metropolis.

15:16 Patriarch: “Let our word addressed to society, including through the media, be sincere, and not pompous or hypocritical, meaningful, and not declarative and empty, encouraging, and not mentoring and condemning. So that even when reminding us of prohibitions, we First of all, they cared about directing people to Divine love."

15:13 Special attention devoted to topics that excite the media. Sometimes this happens when the form of communication with journalists is chosen incorrectly. It is important to treat every word spoken wisely.

15:11 The Patriarch notes that not all priests are given the talent of communicating with people in social networks and not every clergyman can be a blogger .

15:10 The Patriarch called on bishops and priests to go beyond officialdom when interacting with the media, including regional ones.

15:09 Important! The Patriarch shared his vision of the “information space” of the Church. He believes that this is not only technical system, but the entire information, communication, public space of the Church.

15:09 During the inter-conciliar period, considerable achievements were made in the use of technical capabilities for preaching the Gospel.

15:08 The Patriarch thanked the press service Synodal Department on church charity and social service. Her work allowed a wide range of people to become acquainted with the efforts of numerous church workers caring for the disadvantaged.

15:05 The cathedral resumed work. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill opened the next session with the topic of the information ministry of the Church.

13:30 Break in the meeting of the Council until 15:00.

13:26 Over 1,100 priests are engaged in caring for the Cossacks in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.

13:25 A mission is not a collection of methods - but a specific activity. This is the enlightenment of those people, baptized or not, who are unfamiliar or barely familiar with the Gospel message.

13:24 It is necessary to clearly define what is missionary activity, as well as how it should be carried out at the general church level and at the level of individual dioceses or parishes.

13:20 The topic of children's religious education. Something needs to change in Sunday schools. But carefully. It is impossible for her to be a copy of a secular school. Children get bored of it very quickly. Five days at school and on Sunday at the same school. Ready ideas No. We have to think. At the same time, do not immediately destroy what exists.

13:19 The Patriarch called on, when developing the field of religious education, to focus not only on creating a regulatory framework, but rather on analyzing the best practices and their implementation in the field of church education.

13:17 From 2015 to 2017, Sunday schools in Russia were certified and their register was compiled. Total quantity Sunday schools (groups) in Russia - 5962, Centers for spiritual and moral education - 16, Sunday schools are available in 40% of Russian parishes.

13:11 "Recognition of theology as a scientific specialty is a serious incentive and, in in a good way, a test for church theological science,” the Patriarch believes.

12:41 There is a discussion going on. Patriarch: “We should look for candidates not only among young people, but also among mature, active parishioners who are ready to serve the Church and, for this purpose, receive the appropriate education.”

12:22 His Grace Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany, Chairman of the Credentials Commission, said that 347 bishops had registered.

11:45 Break in the meeting of the Council.

11:42 On the initiative of the Supreme Church Council, it is planned to create a system feedback both with diocesan administrations and with distributed graduates of theological educational institutions, which will make it possible to obtain information about how the latter’s two-year business trips went.

11:41 For the first time since 1946, teaching aids for seminaries. More than 100 people take part in the preparation of textbooks in 15 disciplines.

11:34 The Patriarch reports on the process of launching distance education in religious educational institutions, and what needs to be done for this.

11:32 Tremendous work, of course, has been done in the area spiritual education.

11:31 Patriarch: “It is assumed that all clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church must undergo advanced training at least once every seven years. An exception is made for clergy with an academic theological degree, as well as for those for whom it would be difficult to take such courses due to their advanced age.”

11:29 It is important to increase the number of students full-time training in theological seminaries. These are steps to overcome the formal attitude towards education on the part of some clergy. That is why raising the educational level is a church-wide task.

11:27 Lining up modern system spiritual education has been going on since the mid-90s. But new impulse the process was received in 2011.

11:26 IN different countries There are a total of 56 theological academies and seminaries under our canonical responsibility. In all these establishments educational process must be organized according to uniform standards. But these educational institutions are located in different countries. The task is not easy, of course.

11:22 What is important is not leisure time with young people, but the preaching of Christ. Moreover, shepherds should be an example of the Gospel commandments.

11:20 Youth councils in dioceses are needed if they do not become a place for the realization of personal ambitions or a formal superstructure, an end in itself.

11.18 The task of the Church is not to organize a club based on interests, but to introduce people to Christ. But interest clubs can be paths to the Savior. If we do not forget about the main thing - the Eucharist.

11:17 Patriarch: “The Church is not a headquarters for organizing cultural events.”

11:13 Even in the first part there was a quote from St. Tikhon: “ Last year was the year of construction of the Russian State. But alas! Doesn't it remind us of a sad experience? Babylonian construction? <…>Look, Lord, how humiliated we are, and whether there is a disease like ours that has befallen us.<…>And all this devastation and shortcomings are because they are now being built without God. Russian State. <…>There will be no success until we remember God, without whom nothing good can be done (John 15:5), until we turn to Him with all our hearts and all our thoughts (Matthew 22:37).”

11:12 It is important to help young people understand that modern world rather, pushes a person towards slavery. Only the Gospel gives people true freedom. Therefore, sometimes it was the Church that was primarily persecuted in revolutionary times. The Church helps people begin to live with their own minds, supported by Divine grace.

11:08 The main thing is witness to the truth and the service of the Eucharist.

11:06 Every year, an average of 150-200 new social projects appear in dioceses.

10:58 The Patriarch proposed the theme of mission among youth and the theme of clergy education as the main vectors of church life.

10:56 In the Russian Orthodox Church there are 36,878 churches or other premises in which the Divine Liturgy is celebrated.

10:55 The total number of full-time and supernumerary clergy of the Russian Church is more than 40 thousand people.

10:54 During the time that has elapsed since the Council of Bishops in 2016, our fellow bishops have died: the retired Archbishop Gabriel (Steblyuchenko, 05/20/2016), Metropolitan Theodosius (Protsyuk, 05/28/2016), Archbishop Melchizedek (Lebedev, 08/08). 06.2016 .), Archbishop Ambrose (Shchurov, 11/08/2016), Metropolitan Nifont (Solodukha, 03/22/2017), Archbishop Nicholas (Grokh, 06/17/2017). Those who were in the departments before theirs died last days Archbishop of Berlin and Germany Theophan (Galinsky, 09/11/2017) and Metropolitan Iriney of Nizhyn and Priluki (Semko, 09/23/2017). The archpastors sang Eternal Memory to their deceased brothers.

10:53 There are 303 dioceses in the Russian Orthodox Church.

10:51 There are 293 ruling archpastors today, and a total of 377 bishops.

10:50 “The human world yearns for unity and always seeks unity.<...>The unity manifested by the Church lies over temporary barriers and divisions. This unity is eternal and timeless, incorruptible, always relevant and never outdated - the unity for which the God-man Christ Jesus himself prayed to His Heavenly Father,” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill drew the attention of those gathered.

10:45 The Patriarch warned the clergy who recklessly turn that sacred thing, to which the Lord called them to guard, into the service of momentary, vain and ultimately perishable things. Such trends can lead to the desacralization of the Church, placing it on a par with public organizations.

10:43 The Patriarch emphasized: in the 21st century, just as in previous centuries, the ministry of bishops, in order to be truly conciliar, must combine the preservation of institutions defined by tradition with vigilant attention to the conciliar voice of the Church and “contain what was believed everywhere, always, everyone.” (according to the word of St. Vincent of Lerinsky).

10:40 “The bishop, as serving the clergy and the people of God, as the image of a shepherd who leads his flock behind him, is the one who is close, reachable, who is not only in the sacred space of the altar or in the inaccessible silence of the office, but who can be seen, to whom You can personally contact someone who is open to communication and who, not theoretically, but practically, sets an example for the clergy and laity with his life in Christ, just as the apostles did,” - His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.

On the evening of February 20, 2018, on Tuesday of the first week of Great Lent, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' celebrated Great Compline with the reading of the Great penitential canon St. Andrei Kritsky in Epiphany cathedral in Elokhov, Moscow.

The honorary rector of the cathedral, Protopresbyter Matthew Stadnyuk, the rector of the cathedral, Archpriest Alexander Ageikin, clergy of the temple, and the capital's clergy took part in the service.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of the Epiphany Cathedral (regent A.K. Mayorov).

The Patriarchal service was broadcast live on the Soyuz TV channel.

At the end of the service, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed the flock with a sermon.

“In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

In prayer St. Ephraim Sirina, we ask the Lord to deliver us from idleness and despondency. Two vices, two sins stand together in this prayer - just as in life. Saint Isaac the Syrian, who lived in the 7th century and left behind wonderful creations, says that idleness gives rise to despondency, as well as vain conversations and excessive gluttony.

Dejection is a very difficult mental state. There is probably not a single person who would not feel discouraged at some point in his life. And often people lose life guidelines, lose hope, become indifferent to everything around them and even to themselves, and the most common unfavorable life circumstances can become a reason for despondency. It would seem that we should remember that everything passes in life - both good and bad - and not give in to despondency. But more often than not, when faced with difficulties, a person becomes discouraged.

We must remember that despondency is a sin, and at the heart of this sin is a lack of faith. What happens to a depressed person? He sees no way out of this situation, he loses hope. It is easy to understand when this happens to non-religious people, because a non-believer connects everything with a coincidence of circumstances, with his personal efforts or the efforts of other people, and often realizes their inadequacy to overcome despondency. But it is given to the believer to know that our life is in the hands of God, and if we do not find the strength to get out of a state of despondency, then this indicates the weakness of our faith.

But faith is connected with hope. It is well known that faith generates hope, which helps people get through the hardest life trials. When a despondent person loses hope, it can be very difficult for him to repent and confess his sins. He does not so much repent as complain - about his life, about circumstances, about relatives, about those around him, who, in his opinion, are the cause of despondency. But a believer realizes that our life is in the hands of God, that in response to faith and prayer the Lord is able "To raise up children for Abraham from these stones"(see Matthew 3:9), i.e. to do the impossible, and this faith does not follow from some conclusions, but is based on historical experience - on the experience of the Church, on the experience of the saints.

Today we heard the wonderful words of Canon Andrew of Crete, who calls us to repentance, citing the Old Testament righteous and sinners as examples and thereby showing us the opportunity to find salvation. Old Testament, just like New Testament, is a part of our sacred history, filled with many examples of how hope wins, how faith, becoming power, transforms human life. And the sin of despondency is also dangerous because it destroys not only the most despondent person, but also carries within itself negative energy. Everyone knows from experience what sad consequences communication with someone who has fallen into despondency leads to, because his spiritual negative energy affects those around him.

Since the cause of despondency is weak faith and lack of hope, it is impossible to cope with despondency without faith and hope. It is no coincidence that Saint Ephrem, in the prayer that we so often repeat during Lenten services, asks the Lord to deliver us from despondency. Because very often our own strength is not enough, and only the power of God can rescue us from the heavy captivity that affects our consciousness, fetters our will and darkens our feelings. And may the Lord help us to realize that despondency is largely determined by our lifestyle, our thoughts , and, having overcome this destructive temptation, live with trust in the will of God, good and perfect. Amen".

Tomorrow morning, Wednesday of the first week of Great Lent, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' will celebrate the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

On December 2, 2016, on the day of remembrance of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' performed Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

During the service, the consecration of Archimandrite Matthew (Samkulov) as Bishop of Shuisky and Teikovsky (Ivanovo Metropolis) was performed.

Upon arrival at the cathedral, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church venerated the venerable relics of St. Philaret of Moscow, after which he led the service of the Liturgy, at which His Holiness was served by: Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, administrator of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations; Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', rector of the Antioch metochion in Moscow; Metropolitan Arseny of Istra, first vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for Moscow; Metropolitan Joseph of Ivanovo-Voznesensk and Vichuga; Metropolitan Nikon of Astrakhan and Kamyzyak; Archbishop Eugene of Vereisky, Chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church; Archbishop Sergius of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Gury (Shalimov); Bishop of Dmitrov Theophylact, Vicar of Andreevsky stauropegic monastery; Bishop Jerome (Chernyshov); Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk; Bishop of Rybinsk and Danilovsky Benjamin; Bishop Savva of the Resurrection, first deputy administrator of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Hilarion of Kineshma and Palekh; ; Bishop John of Vorkuta and Usinsk; Archpriest Vladimir Divakov, secretary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for Moscow; Archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, sacristan of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior; Archimandrite Alexy (Polikarpov), abbot of the Danilov Stavropegic Monastery; Archimandrite Sergius (Voronkov), abbot of the Joseph-Volotsk stauropegial monastery; Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, Deputy Chairman of the DECR MP; Archimandrite Filaret (Bulekov), Deputy Chairman of the DECR MP; Archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky), representative of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia; Archimandrite Savva (Tutunov), Deputy Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archpriest Sergiy Privalov, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies; Abbot Bartholomew (Petrov), abbot of the Nikolo-Ugreshsky stauropegial monastery; Abbot Peter (Eremeev), abbot of the Vysoko-Petrovsky stauropegial monastery; Archpriest Alexander Ageikin, rector of the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow; priest Alexander Volkov, head of the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'; members of the Diocesan Council, deans and clergy of Moscow, as well as clergy of the Ivanovo Metropolis.

The service was attended by Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation I.O. Shchegolev, Governor of the Ivanovo region P.A. Konkov, head Federal service for supervision in the field of communications, information technology and mass communications A.A. Zharov, Head of the Representative Office of the Republic of China Taiwan Wang Jian Ye, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations of the Church with Society and the Media V.R. Legoyda, head of the art and production enterprise "Sofrino" E.A. Parkhaev.

Participants of the First International Congress of Regents and Singers of the Russian Orthodox Church, abbess of women's monasteries, and clergy of churches in the Russian capital prayed during the service. Among those praying was also a professor from Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov, famous TV presenter N.N. Drozdov, who is the cousin-great-great-grandson of St. Philaret of Moscow.

Liturgical chants were performed by the combined choir of participants of the I International Congress of Regents and Singers of the Russian Orthodox Church under the direction of Honored Artist of Russia A.A. Puzakova and the Patriarchal Choir of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior under the direction of I.B. Tolkacheva.

The Patriarchal service was broadcast live on the Soyuz TV channel.

After the special litany, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church offered a prayer for peace in Ukraine.

During the Liturgy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill ordained Deacon Alexy Dolgov, clergyman of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Khamovniki, Moscow, to the rank of presbyter.

The sermon before communion was delivered by priest Gregory Geronimus, rector of the Church of the All-Merciful Savior in Mitino, Moscow.

At the end of the Liturgy, the Primate of the Russian Church admonished Bishop Matthew of Shuisky and Teikovsky for the service and presented him with the bishop’s staff. According to tradition, the newly ordained hierarch gave the believers the first archpastoral blessing.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill performed glorification at the shrine with the honorable relics of St. Philaret of Moscow, after which he addressed the believers with the First Hierarchical word.

In consideration of the diligent archpastoral labors and in connection with the 75th anniversary of his birth, the Primate of the Russian Church awarded Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis with the Order St. Sergius Radonezh I degree. Presenting the award, His Holiness the Patriarch said: “Vladika Niphon has been representing the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Moscow for almost 40 years. This is a very special example of selfless service to two Churches - the Russian Church and the Church of Antioch and the whole East. You, Vladyka, have become a living bridge connecting our Churches and peoples. You have written your name in the history of your Church and in the history of our Church, for no one has ever carried out this ministry for so long and with such remarkable success. We pray that the Lord will guide your life path in accordance with Our will, and we will always be glad to see you here, next to us, as a reliable assistant and prayer book both for the Church of Antioch and for the Russian people. May the Lord always be with you, strengthening you and your people, who are going through many difficult trials today, and giving you mental and physical strength. Is these people, despots.”

On the same day, in the Red Hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presented church awards to a number of Moscow clergy.